FlashCrafterOriginal research
October 2026: in 30 large US cities the three strongest listings held 23% to 59% of the Maps top-three points for “hvac contractor”.
This measurement describes how concentrated Google Maps listings were for the search “hvac contractor” across large US cities.
For an independent HVAC owner, it shows whether appearances were spread among many listings or concentrated among listings that appeared across more search locations.
At a glance
Ordered by the share of top-three points held by the three strongest listings, lowest first. Measured Oct 12, 2026: 9 points around each city centre, one search term. The order says how concentrated the top three was, not which city is better.
1. Phoenix, AZ
2. New York, NY
3. Indianapolis, IN
4. Detroit, MI
5. Houston, TX
6. Philadelphia, PA
7. Denver, CO
7. Louisville, KY
7. Washington, DC
10. Las Vegas, NV
11. Charlotte, NC
12. Jacksonville, FL
13. San Diego, CA
14. Fort Worth, TX
15. Boston, MA
16. Los Angeles, CA
17. Chicago, IL
18. Portland, OR
19. Dallas, TX
20. Seattle, WA
21. Oklahoma City, OK
22. San Antonio, TX
23. Austin, TX
23. San Jose, CA
25. Baltimore, MD
26. Nashville, TN
27. Memphis, TN
28. San Francisco, CA
29. El Paso, TX
30. Columbus, OH
| City | In the top three | Three strongest hold | Heavy holders (5+ of 9 points) | Chain or brand listings (at least) | No website listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Phoenix, AZ | 19 of 52 | 6 of 26 (23%) | 0 | 0 of 52 (0%) | 7 of 52 (13%) |
| 2. New York, NY | 21 of 63 | 7 of 27 (26%) | 0 | 5 of 63 (8%) | 9 of 63 (14%) |
This table describes how crowded the Google Maps top three was for “hvac contractor” on Oct 12, 2026. It does not say how easy it would be for any business to win a city, and it is not a prediction of who will appear there.
Reading the table
The share held by the three strongest listings ranged from 23% to 59%, with a median of 41%. “Three strongest hold” measures the share of recorded top-three appearances held by the three listings appearing at the most search points. A higher share means those listings accounted for more appearances; a lower share means appearances were spread more widely among other listings. These are appearances in positions 1 to 3, not a measure of appearing first.
Your own business
Questions
Method and limits
On Oct 12, 2026, FlashCrafter searched Google Maps for “hvac contractor” at 9 points around the centre of each city: a 3 by 3 grid 3.2 km apart. The city list is cities-us-v2, version 2 (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates for incorporated places (July 1, 2025 estimates; file released 2026-05-14)), with 30 cities. A listing holds a grid point when it appeared in positions 1 to 3 there, so a city has at most 27 top-three slots. A listing is one Google Business Profile entry, which is one business location; a business with several locations can hold several listings. Listings in any category that appeared for the search are counted.
“Three strongest hold” is the share of all top-three points in the city held by the three listings that held the most. “Heavy holders” are listings in the top three at 5 or more of the 9 points. “Chain or brand listings” are listings flagged by code as part of a chain, franchise or national brand, out of all listings seen. “No website listed” counts listings whose Maps entry showed no website.
The limits matter. This is one search term and 9 points per city, not every address and not every search a customer might use, on one date; Google Maps results change. It is a sample of what Maps showed, not a count of the businesses in a city. It does not measure calls, bookings, customers, revenue or the quality of any business. The chain flag follows code rules (the same website or place repeated across cities or locations, the same listing name once its city is removed, a national-brand list); a franchisee on its own separate website is not flagged, and a listing set aside first for another reason is not tested, so the chain share is a minimum. “No website listed” means the listing showed none, not that the business has none.
This table describes how crowded the Google Maps top three was for “hvac contractor” on Oct 12, 2026. It does not say how easy it would be for any business to win a city, and it is not a prediction of who will appear there.
Every city in the list was measured.
Ties in the order are broken by more listings in the top three, then fewer heavy holders, then city name; cities that tie on the first three keys share a rank. This page names no business.
Keep reading
Vendor pages change. Figures are as published on the capture date; confirm before deciding.
| 3. Indianapolis, IN | 17 of 44 | 7 of 27 (26%) | 0 | 1 of 44 (2%) | 20 of 44 (45%) |
|---|
| 4. Detroit, MI | 18 of 42 | 8 of 27 (30%) | 0 | 0 of 42 (0%) | 17 of 42 (40%) |
|---|
| 5. Houston, TX | 17 of 43 | 8 of 27 (30%) | 0 | 1 of 43 (2%) | 12 of 43 (28%) |
|---|
| 6. Philadelphia, PA | 20 of 49 | 9 of 27 (33%) | 0 | 4 of 49 (8%) | 14 of 49 (29%) |
|---|
| 7. Denver, CO | 17 of 44 | 9 of 27 (33%) | 0 | 1 of 44 (2%) | 8 of 44 (18%) |
|---|
| 7. Louisville, KY | 17 of 40 | 9 of 27 (33%) | 0 | 2 of 40 (5%) | 12 of 40 (30%) |
|---|
| 7. Washington, DC | 17 of 48 | 9 of 27 (33%) | 0 | 1 of 48 (2%) | 14 of 48 (29%) |
|---|
| 10. Las Vegas, NV | 16 of 52 | 9 of 27 (33%) | 0 | 0 of 52 (0%) | 11 of 52 (21%) |
|---|
| 11. Charlotte, NC | 17 of 40 | 10 of 27 (37%) | 0 | 3 of 40 (8%) | 10 of 40 (25%) |
|---|
| 12. Jacksonville, FL | 15 of 42 | 10 of 27 (37%) | 0 | 1 of 42 (2%) | 14 of 42 (33%) |
|---|
| 13. San Diego, CA | 14 of 37 | 10 of 27 (37%) | 0 | 2 of 37 (5%) | 12 of 37 (32%) |
|---|
| 14. Fort Worth, TX | 17 of 51 | 11 of 27 (41%) | 1 | 2 of 51 (4%) | 12 of 51 (24%) |
|---|
| 15. Boston, MA | 16 of 50 | 11 of 27 (41%) | 0 | 1 of 50 (2%) | 17 of 50 (34%) |
|---|
| 16. Los Angeles, CA | 16 of 59 | 11 of 27 (41%) | 1 | 1 of 59 (2%) | 18 of 59 (31%) |
|---|
| 17. Chicago, IL | 15 of 49 | 11 of 27 (41%) | 0 | 2 of 49 (4%) | 18 of 49 (37%) |
|---|
| 18. Portland, OR | 14 of 38 | 11 of 26 (42%) | 0 | 0 of 38 (0%) | 6 of 38 (16%) |
|---|
| 19. Dallas, TX | 16 of 42 | 12 of 27 (44%) | 1 | 1 of 42 (2%) | 10 of 42 (24%) |
|---|
| 20. Seattle, WA | 13 of 45 | 12 of 27 (44%) | 1 | 1 of 45 (2%) | 20 of 45 (44%) |
|---|
| 21. Oklahoma City, OK | 12 of 40 | 11 of 23 (48%) | 0 | 0 of 40 (0%) | 16 of 40 (40%) |
|---|
| 22. San Antonio, TX | 13 of 39 | 13 of 27 (48%) | 1 | 2 of 39 (5%) | 9 of 39 (23%) |
|---|
| 23. Austin, TX | 12 of 37 | 13 of 27 (48%) | 1 | 2 of 37 (5%) | 7 of 37 (19%) |
|---|
| 23. San Jose, CA | 12 of 42 | 13 of 27 (48%) | 1 | 5 of 42 (12%) | 4 of 42 (10%) |
|---|
| 25. Baltimore, MD | 13 of 45 | 14 of 27 (52%) | 1 | 3 of 45 (7%) | 17 of 45 (38%) |
|---|
| 26. Nashville, TN | 12 of 36 | 14 of 27 (52%) | 2 | 3 of 36 (8%) | 15 of 36 (42%) |
|---|
| 27. Memphis, TN | 11 of 26 | 14 of 27 (52%) | 2 | 2 of 26 (8%) | 14 of 26 (54%) |
|---|
| 28. San Francisco, CA | 13 of 44 | 15 of 27 (56%) | 2 | 2 of 44 (5%) | 17 of 44 (39%) |
|---|
| 29. El Paso, TX | 11 of 30 | 15 of 26 (58%) | 1 | 0 of 30 (0%) | 11 of 30 (37%) |
|---|
| 30. Columbus, OH | 12 of 40 | 16 of 27 (59%) | 2 | 1 of 40 (3%) | 15 of 40 (38%) |
|---|