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How many movie theaters are in the US?

By Louis-Marie Giudicenti. Published . Updated . Data read .

There are 7,050 movie theaters on Google Maps in the US as of November 9, 2026, one for every 48,243 residents. The Census counted 4,057 movie theaters and 290 drive-ins with paid employees in 2023. Google Maps also lists theaters run by volunteers or by a town, and seasonal screens.

7,050
movie theaters on Google Maps in the US
0.2
per 10,000 residentsone for every 48,243
729
in California, the most of any state
0.7
per 10,000 residents in North Dakota, the most of any state

Source: Primavera’s database of Google Maps listings, snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026. Population: Census 2024 estimates. See method.

Our count next to the Census and the official figures

Each source counts something different: Google Maps lists places, the Census counts businesses with or without paid staff, and federations count their members or their own definition. Here they are side by side.

Number of movie theaters in the US: Primavera’s Google Maps count next to official figures
Source and what it countsYearNumber
Primavera, Google Maps listings: movie theaters open on the map, service points left out20267,050
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: Movie theaters with paid employees, drive-ins excluded (NAICS 512131)20234,057
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: Drive-in movie theaters with paid employees (NAICS 512132)2023290

Primavera’s count is 1.6 times the Census count of establishments with paid employees (4,347 in 2023).

Sources: Census national files and federation pages read on November 9, 2026; Primavera, snapshot 2026-11.

Why the numbers differ

  • A theater, not a screen. Each listing is a place, whatever its number of screens. Theater owners’ associations count screens, not places.
  • Paid staff. County Business Patterns counts theaters with paid employees, 4,347 in all. Community theaters, film societies and summer drive-ins run by volunteers are on Google Maps, not in it.
  • Outdoor screens. Drive-ins and outdoor movie theaters are counted here; each is a Google category of its own.
  • Dates. The Census figures describe 2023; this count, November 9, 2026.

Which state has the most movie theaters?

California, with 729 listings, ahead of Texas (515). Per resident, North Dakota has the most: 0.7 per 10,000 residents, against 0.2 for the US.

Movie theaters per 10,000 residents, by state

Google Maps listings counted November 9, 2026. US: 0.2 per 10,000 residents.

Delaware: 22 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsDE0.2District of Columbia: 22 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsDC0.3Florida: 321 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsFL0.1Georgia: 178 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsGA0.2Hawaii: 40 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsHI0.3Idaho: 60 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsID0.3Illinois: 254 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsIL0.2Indiana: 164 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsIN0.2Iowa: 147 movie theaters, 0.5 per 10,000 residentsIA0.5Kansas: 117 movie theaters, 0.4 per 10,000 residentsKS0.4Kentucky: 97 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsKY0.2Louisiana: 68 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsLA0.1Maine: 57 movie theaters, 0.4 per 10,000 residentsME0.4Maryland: 83 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsMD0.1Massachusetts: 132 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsMA0.2Michigan: 222 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsMI0.2Minnesota: 176 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsMN0.3Mississippi: 60 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsMS0.2Missouri: 161 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsMO0.3Montana: 67 movie theaters, 0.6 per 10,000 residentsMT0.6Nebraska: 94 movie theaters, 0.5 per 10,000 residentsNE0.5Nevada: 66 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsNV0.2New Hampshire: 52 movie theaters, 0.4 per 10,000 residentsNH0.4New Jersey: 126 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsNJ0.1New Mexico: 79 movie theaters, 0.4 per 10,000 residentsNM0.4New York: 403 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsNY0.2North Carolina: 209 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsNC0.2North Dakota: 54 movie theaters, 0.7 per 10,000 residentsND0.7Ohio: 244 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsOH0.2Oklahoma: 111 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsOK0.3Oregon: 118 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsOR0.3Pennsylvania: 258 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsPA0.2Rhode Island: 12 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsRI0.1South Carolina: 81 movie theaters, 0.1 per 10,000 residentsSC0.1South Dakota: 55 movie theaters, 0.6 per 10,000 residentsSD0.6Tennessee: 147 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsTN0.2Texas: 515 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsTX0.2Utah: 110 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsUT0.3Vermont: 32 movie theaters, 0.5 per 10,000 residentsVT0.5Virginia: 159 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsVA0.2Washington: 167 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsWA0.2West Virginia: 55 movie theaters, 0.3 per 10,000 residentsWV0.3Wisconsin: 142 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsWI0.2Wyoming: 38 movie theaters, 0.6 per 10,000 residentsWY0.6Alaska: 28 movie theaters, 0.4 per 10,000 residentsAK0.4Connecticut: 85 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsCT0.2California: 729 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsCA0.2Colorado: 137 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsCO0.2Arizona: 123 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsAZ0.2Arkansas: 76 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsAR0.2Alabama: 97 movie theaters, 0.2 per 10,000 residentsAL0.2
  • 0.1–0.2
  • 0.3–0.4
  • 0.5–0.7

Each square is a state, placed roughly where it is on a map. Darker means more per resident.

US states ranked by movie theaters per 10,000 residents, with the number of movie theaters and its rank
#StateMovie theatersRank by numberPer 10,000 residentsvs US
1North Dakota54430.7+0.5
2Wyoming38460.6+0.4
3South Dakota55410.6+0.4
4Montana67360.6+0.4
5Vermont32470.5+0.3
6Nebraska94290.5+0.3
7Iowa147160.5+0.3
8Maine57400.4+0.2
9Kansas117240.4+0.2
10Alaska28480.4+0.2
11New Mexico79330.4+0.2
12New Hampshire52440.4+0.2
13Utah110260.3+0.1
14District of Columbia22500.3+0.1
15West Virginia55420.3+0.1
16Minnesota176110.3+0.1
17Idaho60380.3+0.1
18Hawaii40450.3+0.1
19Oregon118230.3+0.1
20Oklahoma111250.3+0.1
21Missouri161140.3+0.1
22Arkansas76340.20.0
23Wisconsin142180.20.0
24Indiana164130.20.0
25Connecticut85300.20.0
26Colorado137190.20.0
27Michigan22280.20.0
28Kentucky97280.20.0
29Washington167120.20.0
30Delaware22490.20.0
31Ohio24470.20.0
32Mississippi60390.20.0
33Tennessee147170.20.0
34New York40330.20.0
35Nevada66370.20.0
36Illinois25460.20.0
37Pennsylvania25850.20.0
38North Carolina20990.20.0
39Alabama97270.20.0
40Massachusetts132200.20.0
41California72910.20.0
42Virginia159150.20.0
43Texas51520.20.0
44Arizona123220.20.0
45Georgia178100.20.0
46Louisiana68350.1−0.1
47South Carolina81320.1−0.1
48Florida32140.1−0.1
49New Jersey126210.1−0.1
50Maryland83310.1−0.1
51Rhode Island12510.1−0.1

US: 0.2 per 10,000 residents

In number, California (729), Texas (515) and New York (403) lead. Per resident, North Dakota has 6.3 times as many movie theaters as Rhode Island, the lowest.

Source: Primavera, snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026. 0 movie theaters without a public address could not be placed in a state and are only in the US total.

How movie theaters show up online

Movie theaters in the United States, by kind of contact listed

Share of all 7,050 listings.

Website link76.4%
Phone number82.6%
Email address40.3%
Movie theaters next to all US businesses: website builders, links, ad tags, ratings and chains
MeasureMovie theatersAll US businesses
Websites read3,51212,846,647
Built with WordPress20.6%29.2%
Built with Wix5.7%7.1%
Built with Squarespace4.4%5.6%
Site links to Instagram49.9%35.1%
Site links to Facebook64.8%45.2%
Meta Pixel or other Meta script8.3%8.8%
Google Ads tag3.1%6.1%
Average Google rating4.374.44
Rated under 4 stars10.2%17.4%
Median Google reviews45811
Part of a chain23.6%7.9%

Movie theaters collect reviews like few other places: the median listing with reviews has 458, against 11 for all US businesses.

Note: Builders, links and tags are shares of the websites Primavera could read (3,512 for movie theaters), social pages and booking platforms excluded. The Meta figure is an upper bound: Meta’s like buttons and chat load the same script as its ad pixel. Sites made with GoDaddy, Weebly or Duda are counted under none of these builders. Ratings: listings with at least one review.

Which chains have the most movie theaters?

23.6% of movie theater listings belong to a chain our rules recognize; AMC, Regal and Cinemark lead. The rest are independents and small regional circuits.

Chains with the most movie theaters listings on Google Maps in the US
ChainListingsShare of movie theaters
AMC6439.1%
Regal5167.3%
Cinemark3364.8%
Marcus Theatres671.0%
B&B Theatres490.7%

Note: Counts are Google Maps listings, which can differ from a chain’s own theater count.

What these figures don’t say

  • Screens, seats or tickets sold. A one-screen town theater and a 20-screen multiplex count once each.
  • Theaters for live plays and concerts, which have categories of their own.
  • Whether a theater is open all year. Drive-ins often open only in summer.
  • How many companies own these places. A company with several locations counts once per listing.

Questions

Which state has the most movie theaters?

California, with 729 listings, ahead of Texas (515). Per resident, North Dakota has the most: 0.7 per 10,000 residents, against 0.2 for the US.

Which movie theater chain has the most locations?

AMC, with 643 listings in Primavera’s count, ahead of Regal (516) and Cinemark (336). Listings are places, not screens.

How many movie theaters are there per person?

One for every 48,243 residents in the US. Per resident, North Dakota has the most, and Rhode Island the fewest.

Method and data

Snapshot 2026-11, read November 9, 2026
What is counted
Open listings on Google Maps in the United States whose main Google category is one of the categories below, or whose main category is generic and another of its categories is: 7,050 listings, counted on October 29, 2026 and read on November 9, 2026. Service points (lockers, charging stations) are left out.
Categories
3 Google Maps categories: Movie theater, Drive-in movie theater, Outdoor movie theater.
Per resident
Listings for 10,000 residents, with each state’s population from the Census 2024 estimates. States are ranked on the exact ratio.
Official figures
Census County Business Patterns 2023, read on November 9, 2026; federation and agency pages read the same day. Links are in the table above.
Chains
A listing belongs to a chain when its name starts with the chain’s name and its website matches. Agents or franchisees who put their own name first are not tied to the chain.
Cite and download
Louis-Marie Giudicenti (2026). “How many movie theaters are in the US?” Primavera. Data: snapshot 2026-11, November 9, 2026. https://primaverapp.com/en/data/movie-theaters-in-the-us

Permanent link: https://primaverapp.com/en/data/movie-theaters-in-the-us

Download: states (CSV), map (SVG)

Free to reuse under the CC BY 4.0 license, with a link to this page.

More on how the database is built: all trade counts and how Primavera builds its data.

Written by Louis-Marie Giudicenti

Founder of Primavera. Primavera sells lists of local businesses built from the same database.

Published
Updated

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