Walmart reaches 90% of Americans

Walmart and Amazon are pushing faster delivery deeper into rural America, turning places once seen as too costly or too sparse into a new battleground for online retail. The contest is built on logistics rather than price alone: stores, delivery stations, route density and how far each order must travel. Walmart enters that fight with a physical network it says already places about 90% of the U.S. population within 10 miles of a store or Sam’s Club. Amazon, for its part, has committed more than $4 billion to expand same-day and next-day service in smaller cities, towns and rural communities. ### Why does the 10-mile figure matter so much? Walmart’s U.S. footprint is the core fact. The company says 5,200 stores and clubs are within 10 miles of approximately 90% of the population in the United States. That matters because a nearby store can double as a fulfillment node, shrinking the final leg of delivery that is often the most expensive part of e-commerce. (corporate.walmart.com) AP reported from Pea Ridge, Arkansas, on May 16 that Walmart has a “running start” in rural delivery because of that store base. The same report said roughly 90% of U.S. residents live within 10 miles of a Walmart location, giving the retailer a head start in building a repeat customer base outside big cities and suburbs. (corporate.walmart.com) ### How far has Walmart already pushed delivery speed? Walmart said on May 15, in its first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings materials, that its same-day delivery expansion is on track to reach 95% of U.S. households by the end of fiscal 2026. In the earnings call transcript, Chief Executive Doug McMillon said Walmart would soon reach 95% of the U.S. population with delivery options of three hours or less. (pbs.org) Walmart said earlier, in February, that it could already reach 93% of U.S. households with same-day delivery after expanding store-fulfilled delivery areas. In April, the company said a geospatial mapping system had added 12 million households by redefining delivery zones around stores. (corporate.walmart.com) ### What exactly is Amazon building in response? Amazon said it is investing more than $4 billion to triple the size of its delivery network by 2026, with a focus on small towns and rural communities across the United States. The company said the build-out is intended to bring same-day and next-day delivery to more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns and rural communities. (corporate.walmart.com) Amazon said the expansion relies on hybrid hubs that hold inventory closer to customers in less densely populated areas. The company also said it is using artificial intelligence to predict local demand so those sites stock items rural shoppers are most likely to reorder. ### Where does the economics question show up? (aboutamazon.com) Rural delivery changes the math because every extra mile and every stop with fewer packages raises cost. Walmart’s network can offset some of that by shipping from stores that already exist and already sit close to customers, while Amazon is spending to build more local capacity in areas it historically served from farther away. That cost-to-serve point is an inference from each company’s stated network strategy and footprint. (aboutamazon.com) Doug McMillon told analysts on May 15 that delivery speed continues to help drive Walmart’s business, while Amazon said its rural expansion is meant to give customers in less populated areas faster access to everyday goods. Both companies are describing convenience as a growth lever; neither has said the contest will be won by promotions alone. (corporate.walmart.com) ### What should readers watch next? Fiscal 2026 is the next concrete checkpoint. Walmart has said its same-day expansion should reach 95% of U.S. households by the end of that fiscal year, while Amazon has said it plans to triple its rural delivery network by 2026 after extending same-day and next-day coverage to more than 4,000 smaller communities. Those milestones will show whether store density or new logistics build-out moves faster in rural America. (corporate.walmart.com 1) (corporate.walmart.com 2)