NPS Benchmarks by Industry: What Counts as a Good Score in 2026

The most common question after running an NPS program for the first time is: is this score good? The honest answer is that NPS only means something compared to a relevant peer set. This guide pulls together publicly reported NPS benchmarks from the major research firms, breaks them down by industry, and explains how to set a realistic target for your business.

Quick answer: the universal bands

Before any industry context, NPS itself comes with a built-in interpretation. These bands are global and have not changed since Bain & Company published the original methodology.

How to read industry benchmarks

Every published NPS benchmark is a synthesis of self-reported data. Different sources weight different samples (B2C vs B2B, North America vs global, enterprise vs SMB), so headline numbers for the same industry can vary by 10 to 20 points. The ranges below are bands that cover the most-cited sources, not single-point averages.

A few caveats before you read them:

• Transactional vs relationship NPS scores differently. A post-job survey almost always scores 15 to 30 points higher than a once-a-year relationship survey at the same company.
• Sample size matters more than the headline. A category benchmark built on fewer than ~500 companies is directional, not authoritative.
• Trend beats absolute. A +25 that climbed from +10 over twelve months tells you more than a flat +40.

B2C industry benchmarks

B2B industry benchmarks

Service-business verticals (AwareCX focus)

AwareCX is built for multi-location service operators, so the ranges below are the ones we look at most. They blend published benchmarks with directional context from the verticals AwareCX serves directly.

Why your trend matters more than the benchmark

Two companies with identical NPS scores can be in completely different shape. A flat +40 that has held for three years is a different story than a +40 climbing from +15 — and a +40 falling from +60 is a different story again. The single most useful chart in any CX program is rolling NPS over time with sample size on the same axis.

This is the entire reason the AwareCX Portfolio Health Score weights trend and response-rate signal alongside the headline NPS — a single absolute number is almost never the right thing to manage to.

How to set a realistic NPS target

1. Find your industry band. Use the tables above as a starting point; refine with one or two industry-specific sources.
2. Anchor on the top of the band. A reasonable 24-month goal for most service businesses is the top quartile of their industry range, not the global average.
3. Set a trend target, not just a score. "Move from +18 to +30 in 12 months" is more actionable than "hit +30."
4. Pair it with a response-rate floor. An NPS goal without a response-rate target is gameable — see our response rates guide.
5. Track sub-scores by segment. Per-location, per-technician, and per-product NPS will move far before the company average does.

Common mistakes when using benchmarks

• Comparing transactional NPS to relationship benchmarks. The two are not the same metric.
• Treating a category average as a goal. "Average" is the median of everyone, including failing companies.
• Cherry-picking the lowest published benchmark. Choosing the most flattering source is a board-meeting tactic, not a CX program.
• Ignoring geography. European and Japanese respondents score 10 to 20 points lower than North American respondents on the same experience.
• Reporting NPS without n. A score from 25 responses is noise. Always show sample size.

Sources & further reading

• Bain & Company — Net Promoter System — the original methodology and ongoing research from NPS's creators.
• Retently — NPS Benchmarks by Industry — annual report with B2B and B2C cuts.
• CustomerGauge — NPS & CX Benchmarks — strong B2B focus, account-weighted data.
• Qualtrics XM Institute — industry-level CX index research.
• Zendesk CX Trends Report — service-industry benchmarks and consumer expectations.
• SurveyMonkey — NPS Benchmarks — broad B2C category averages.

The ranges in this guide are AwareCX's synthesis of the above sources as of June 2026. Specific data points should be verified against the original source before use in board or analyst materials.

Frequently asked questions