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The Size Inclusivity Index, 2026

"Plus size" on the sign doesn't always mean your size on the rack. So we checked: of the 6,551 plus size stores in our directory, 882 prove extended sizes — 4X+ or size 26+ — on their own website. This index ranks the states by the share of their stores that clear that bar. It's a celebration of the states where walking in and finding your size is most likely to just… work.

States leading on size inclusivity

New York leads the nation: 30% of its plus size stores (87 of 290) prove 4X+ stock on their own sites — with Maryland (29.3%) and New Jersey (26.3%) right behind. Nationally, 13.5% of stores clear the bar. These counts are floors, not ceilings: a store only scores when its own website shows garments in 4X+ or size 26+, so every point on this table is verified — and the real numbers can only be higher.

#StateStores with proven 4X+All storesShare
1 New York 87 290 30%
2 Maryland 24 82 29.3%
3 New Jersey 44 167 26.3%
4 Delaware 5 22 22.7%
5 Nevada 9 40 22.5%
6 Florida 82 382 21.5%
7 Georgia 57 312 18.3%
8 Connecticut 12 67 17.9%
9 Pennsylvania 40 235 17%
10 North Carolina 44 265 16.6%
11 Massachusetts 19 115 16.5%
12 Louisiana 22 140 15.7%
13 Virginia 20 143 14%
14 Mississippi 18 131 13.7%
15 Michigan 33 242 13.6%
16 Arizona 11 84 13.1%
17 Washington 11 86 12.8%
18 California 44 364 12.1%
19 Minnesota 15 124 12.1%
20 Ohio 38 320 11.9%
21 Alabama 23 197 11.7%
22 South Carolina 15 134 11.2%
23 Indiana 21 191 11%
24 Wisconsin 14 132 10.6%
25 Illinois 29 293 9.9%

Top 25 of 43 qualifying states (20+ stores in the directory) shown — the full CSV has every state. States are ranked on verified evidence, and enrichment is ongoing, so shares tick up as more store sites are checked.

Why "proven" is the whole point

The average American woman wears a size 16–18, and millions wear 4X and up — yet size charts quietly stop at 3X in a lot of stores that call themselves plus size. That gap is exactly what this index measures. The states at the top aren't just states with more stores; they're the states where stores commit — extended sizes on the site, on the rack, in the fitting room. Shopping in one of them? Start with the stores that earned the badge: browse the independent boutiques or the best stores in your state, and look for the "Extended sizes 4X+" flag on listings.

Cite this data

Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Suggested line: "Source: PlusSizeNearby.com Size Inclusivity Index (2026)" linked to this page.

Download the CSV   Need a custom cut (metro-level, year-over-year)? Email us.

Methodology: we maintain a national directory of 6,551 plus size clothing stores and boutiques (public business listings; no big-box department stores). For each store we crawl its own website and mark it "proven extended sizes" only when the site shows garments in 4X+ or numeric size 26+. Share = proven stores ÷ all directory stores in the state; states need 20+ stores to be ranked. Because the flag requires positive evidence, all counts are floors. Updated July 15, 2026. More cuts of the data: the plus size stats hub.