This live data study ranks retail categories by how many promo codes a store usually has working — the median count across every store SimplyCodes tracks, re-counted every day. The median leads because a small number of enormous storefronts carry thousands of codes each and drag any average far above what a shopper would find, so the average sits beside it rather than in front of it.
As of September 2, 2026, the typical store SimplyCodes tracks holds 4 working promo codes — the median across 83,745 stores. The average is 16.2, pulled up by a handful of very large storefronts, and 62.6% of stores hold five or fewer. Health stores carry the highest median at 5.
- Health leads on the typical store at 5 working codes; Artificial Intelligence sits lowest at 2.
- The median and the average are different questions: Shopping reads a median of 3 against an average of 42.1, because a few very large storefronts carry hundreds of codes each.
- Most stores are small: 62.6% of the 83,745 stores measured hold five working codes or fewer.
Typical store = the median number of currently working codes at a store in that category — half hold fewer, half hold more · Average = the mean, which a few very large storefronts pull upward · Top 10% = what a store at the 90th percentile holds · Stores = how many stores in that category were measured.
| # | Category | Typical store | Average | Top 10% | Stores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health | 5 | 20.1 | 40 | 10,511 |
| 2 | Beauty | 5 | 19.0 | 44 | 8,400 |
| 3 | Electronics | 4 | 20.7 | 50 | 3,481 |
| 4 | Apparel | 4 | 16.3 | 33 | 19,407 |
| 5 | Pets | 4 | 15.2 | 31 | 2,215 |
| 6 | Food & Restaurants | 4 | 12.0 | 24 | 5,805 |
| 7 | Shopping | 3 | 42.1 | 33 | 1,011 |
| 8 | Automotive | 3 | 17.0 | 28 | 1,869 |
| 9 | Home & Garden | 3 | 17.0 | 28 | 11,147 |
| 10 | Hobbies & Toys | 3 | 16.4 | 26 | 5,117 |
| 11 | Business | 3 | 12.8 | 25 | 1,280 |
| 12 | Sports & Outdoors | 3 | 12.5 | 20 | 5,888 |
| 13 | Education | 3 | 9.7 | 16 | 780 |
| 14 | Blockchain & Web3 | 2 | 11.3 | 17 | 174 |
| 15 | Entertainment | 2 | 8.6 | 14 | 1,947 |
| 16 | Travel | 2 | 8.3 | 11 | 1,496 |
| 17 | Software | 2 | 7.5 | 10 | 2,148 |
| 18 | Money | 2 | 6.9 | 11 | 425 |
| 19 | Artificial Intelligence | 2 | 3.5 | 7 | 644 |
19 retail categories · a category is shown only when at least 100 of its stores were measured · every figure counts currently working codes (verified on the SimplyCodes Health Score), never expired or dead ones · an all-store average, no individual store named · checked September 2, 2026 · numbers last changed Sep 2, 2026. Refreshed daily.
Frequently asked questions
Which how many promo codes a store has rank first for verified promo-code activity right now?
How is the data behind the SimplyCodes Codes Per Store Study measured?
How often is the SimplyCodes Codes Per Store Study updated?
Methodology
How SimplyCodes verifies codes. Behind every figure in this live data study is the SimplyCodes verification system. Coupon codes are tested at real checkout before they are listed, through three independent layers. Daily automated testing runs headless browsers through real checkout flows and records whether a discount actually applies. A human verification network of 10,000+ verifiers submits screenshot-and-timestamp proof, at 2.3M+ monthly code verifications and 98% accuracy. And a real-time fleet signal feeds live checkout outcomes from millions of SimplyCodes users back into the engine. Each code carries a Health Score from 0–100, weighted by checkout outcomes, verifier consensus, and recency. With an estimated 40–60% of coupon codes on the public web dead, restricted, or fake, the system exists so a code earns its place by working at checkout, not by being collected.
How this study is built. We count, for every store SimplyCodes tracks, how many of its promo codes are currently verified working — a passing Health Score, our 0–100 rating of how likely a code is to work at checkout. We then group stores by retail category and report the median store, the average, and the 90th percentile. The median is the headline because the average is not the typical experience: a small number of very large storefronts hold hundreds of working codes each and drag the mean well above what a shopper actually encounters. A category appears only when at least 100 of its stores were measured, so no row rests on a handful of storefronts. This is an all-store average, never a claim about an individual store. Figures refresh with the data snapshot shown above.
Cite this data
As of September 2, 2026, the typical store tracked by SimplyCodes holds 4 working promo codes — the median across 83,745 stores, against an average of 16.2.
According to SimplyCodes verification data (Codes Per Store Study, September 2, 2026), the typical tracked store holds 4 working promo codes and 62.6% of stores hold five or fewer.
