Study · Chicago · October 2026
AI never names 84% of local businesses
in Chicago
We checked 1,244 businesses in Chicago across five local industries against ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. 84.0% were never named by any of the four. Chicago roofers had the smallest gap of all 25 markets, at 80.4%, and that still leaves four in five never named.
The gap by industry in Chicago
The share of businesses never named by any of the four assistants.
Being well reviewed isn't enough
- 44% of the 36 businesses with 1,000+ Google reviews were never named.
- 258 businesses with 4.5+ stars and 100+ reviews were never named.
- On average, 3.8 of the 10 most-reviewed businesses in each industry here were never named.
- Heating and plumbing company: 3,400+ Google reviews, 4.9★, never named.
The sites AI cited most in Chicago
The share of answers that cited each site at least once.
- BestInHood: 22.4%
- Trustanalytica: 19.3%
- Yelp: 18.8%
- Reddit: 15.6%
- Better Business Bureau: 11.5%
Reddit was cited in 15.6% of answers, more than in any of the other four cities, so local discussion matters here.
The assistants also rarely agree: 67% of the businesses they recommended here were named by only one of the four, so one check in one assistant says little.
What this means for agencies in Chicago
Most owners here don't know whether AI names them, and many of the businesses it leaves out already have strong reputations. That gives you a specific finding to open a conversation with, and ongoing work to offer on the sites AI actually reads.
- How to sell AI visibility to local clients
- The AI visibility checklist for local businesses
- AI visibility for dental marketing agencies
- AI visibility for personal injury marketing agencies
- AI visibility for plumbing marketing agencies
- AI visibility for roofing marketing agencies
- AI visibility for med spa marketing agencies
About these figures
From our study of 6,682 local businesses in 25 US markets, using Google's local listings and answers collected in October 2026. Answers change over time, so treat this as a snapshot. We don't publish business names.
Other cities: New York · Los Angeles · Houston · Phoenix
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