Top 5 Retail Chains by Store Count in the U.S.

When people think about the largest retailers in the United States, Walmart usually comes to mind. And for good reason: it’s the biggest retailer by sales revenue, pulling in more than $600 billion globally in 2024.

But if you measure by store count, the leaderboard looks completely different. In fact, the companies that dominate America’s physical retail landscape are not necessarily those with the biggest sales per square foot, but rather those that win by blanketing the map — reaching customers in every rural town, highway corner, and city block.

Here’s a closer look at the Top 5 retail chains in the U.S. by number of store locations and how they got there:

Dollar General has quietly built the most extensive store network in America, with nearly 19,600 outlets spread across 48 states. Unlike Walmart or Target, which focus on sprawling supercenters, Dollar General thrives in small-format, low-overhead stores.

The company’s strategy is deceptively simple: go where others won’t. Many of its stores are in rural towns of fewer than 20,000 people, places often bypassed by larger retailers. The formula works: it costs as little as $250,000 to open a Dollar General, compared to several million for a Walmart Supercenter.

Its shelves are filled with low-price essentials — canned goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, seasonal items, and increasingly, fresh produce. By keeping prices low and locations hyper-accessible, Dollar General has become the default retailer for millions of Americans.

📈 Growth story: The company has been opening ~1,000 new stores per year on average since 2015. Even after a challenging 2024 (marked by inflation-driven operational costs), Dollar General plans 575 more stores in 2025, underscoring its aggressive expansion.

💡 Why it matters: In rural America, Dollar General often functions as both the grocery store and the general store, especially in towns where independent grocers have disappeared.

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar operate under the same corporate umbrella, combining for over 16,000 stores nationwide. Dollar Tree is famous for its “everything for $1.25” model, while Family Dollar caters more to low-to middle-income neighborhoods, offering a broader range of products, including groceries and apparel.

Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015 for $8.5 billion, a deal that created a discount retail powerhouse. Today, there are roughly 9,000 Dollar Tree stores and 7,000 Family Dollar outlets, giving the company a near-omnipresent reach in both suburban and urban areas.

Unlike Dollar General, which leans rural, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar target working-class communities in metro areas. This helps balance geographic coverage: Dollar General dominates the countryside, while Dollar Tree/Family Dollar has a grip on inner cities and small towns.

📉 Challenges: Family Dollar has struggled with inconsistent operations and a weaker brand identity compared to Dollar Tree. The company has faced store closures and safety violations, including a 2022 case where rodent infestations led to a massive recall.

📈 Upside: Dollar Tree’s consistent $1.25 model continues to draw bargain hunters, especially as inflation pinches budgets. Its combination with Family Dollar makes the group the second-largest retail chain by store count in the U.S.

7-Eleven might be headquartered in Japan, but in the U.S., it’s a convenience store titan. With 9,500+ stores nationwide, it’s the undisputed king of gas station retail and grab-and-go shopping.

The brand’s biggest growth spurt came in 2021 when it acquired Speedway for $21 billion, instantly adding more than 3,800 stores to its portfolio. Add to that its Stripes convenience store chain, and you get a company that dominates America’s on-the-go economy.

7-Eleven is more than just a place for Slurpees and Big Gulps. Its stores are strategically positioned on busy roads, urban intersections, and near gas stations — spots that maximize foot traffic and impulse purchases. The average customer might stop for fuel, but they leave with snacks, drinks, lottery tickets, or household items.

📈 Innovation push: In recent years, 7-Eleven has leaned into digital convenience, launching mobile delivery services and experimenting with cashier-less stores. It’s also adding healthier food options and expanding private-label products.

💡 Why it matters: Unlike Dollar General or Dollar Tree, 7-Eleven thrives on frequency, not basket size. Millions of Americans might not do their weekly shopping at 7-Eleven, but they stop in several times a week.

CVS Health isn’t just a pharmacy chain; it’s an integrated healthcare company. With 9,400+ stores across the U.S., CVS is the largest pharmacy retailer by location. Its outlets often double as mini-clinics, wellness centers, and insurance hubs, reflecting the company’s broader healthcare strategy.

The real game-changer came with CVS’s $69 billion acquisition of Aetna in 2018, transforming it from a retail pharmacy into a healthcare powerhouse. Today, a visit to CVS might involve picking up prescriptions, getting a flu shot, attending a telehealth appointment, or even consulting a nurse practitioner at a MinuteClinic.

📈 Retail shift: While prescription drugs remain its anchor, CVS has diversified heavily into beauty, personal care, and convenience groceries. It’s positioning itself as a one-stop shop for everyday needs, similar to Walgreens, but with stronger integration into healthcare services.

📉 Pressure points: CVS has closed some underperforming stores in urban areas, citing foot traffic declines and changing shopping habits. Still, its presence remains unmatched in pharmacy retail.

💡 Why it matters: CVS is no longer just a drugstore — it’s a healthcare gateway for millions of Americans, especially those living in neighborhoods with limited access to hospitals or clinics.

With 8,600+ stores, Walgreens is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the U.S. by store count, trailing CVS by a few hundred locations. But in many ways, Walgreens is more deeply embedded in urban America. Its stores are staples in city centers, suburban strips, and near hospitals.

Walgreens has long been known for its ubiquity — the joke is that in cities like Chicago, you can find a Walgreens on every corner. Its business model has traditionally centered on filling prescriptions, but like CVS, it has expanded into health and wellness retail, beauty, and personal care.

📈 Strategic moves: Walgreens has made aggressive bets on healthcare, investing in primary care provider VillageMD and opening co-located clinics in hundreds of its stores. This blurs the line between a retail pharmacy and a healthcare facility.

📉 Struggles: Walgreens has faced profitability issues in recent years, with store closures and restructuring efforts aimed at cutting costs. Still, its vast footprint keeps it in the Top 5.

💡 Why it matters: Walgreens’ urban dominance and healthcare shift mean it remains a central player in how Americans access both daily essentials and medical services.

It’s easy to think that in the age of e-commerce, same-day delivery, and doorstep convenience, physical stores no longer hold the same weight. Yet the dominance of these five chains tells a different story.

Dollar stores (Dollar General, Dollar Tree/Family Dollar) win by serving communities that big-box retailers and supermarkets often overlook.

Convenience chains like 7-Eleven thrive by capturing on-the-go shoppers at the crossroads of travel, food, and impulse buying.

Pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens remain essential because they blend retail with healthcare, making themselves anchors of everyday life.

At its core, store count isn’t just about scale — it’s about accessibility. Thousands of outlets scattered across towns and cities turn these chains into part of America’s daily rhythm, shaping routines and building habits that online platforms alone can’t replicate.

1. Which retail chain has the most stores in the U.S.?

Dollar General leads with over 19,600 stores nationwide, making it the largest U.S. retailer by store count, especially dominant in rural and small-town markets.

2. Why do dollar stores have so many locations compared to Walmart or Target?

Dollar stores thrive on a low-cost, small-format model. They target communities too small to sustain a Walmart or supermarket, with lower operating costs and faster setup times, allowing rapid expansion.

3. How does 7-Eleven rank among U.S. retailers?

7-Eleven operates ~9,500 convenience stores in the U.S. (including Speedway and Stripes), making it the country’s largest convenience chain. Globally, it has more than 85,000 stores.

4. Does having more stores mean higher revenue?

Not always. Walmart has fewer U.S. stores (~4,600) but generates far more revenue than Dollar General or CVS. Store count reflects reach and accessibility, while revenue depends on basket size, assortment, and customer base.

5. Why do CVS and Walgreens have so many stores across the U.S.?

CVS and Walgreens built their networks to ensure easy access to prescriptions and healthcare services. By placing stores in urban neighborhoods, suburbs, and even small towns, they’ve become community fixtures. Their expansion into clinics, vaccinations, and everyday retail goods further cements their role as go-to destinations beyond just filling prescriptions.