Walmart reaches 90% of Americans

Walmart’s store network remains one of its clearest logistical advantages as U.S. retailers push harder into faster e-commerce delivery. The company says 5,200 stores and clubs are within 10 miles of about 90% of the U.S. population, according to its corporate fact page. Walmart has tied that footprint to faster delivery, curbside pickup and in-store shopping as it pitches itself as a “people-led, tech-powered omnichannel” retailer. The figure resurfaced on May 16 in coverage of the fight for rural and small-town online shoppers, where Walmart and Amazon are both investing in quicker delivery. The contest is not just about website traffic. It is about which company can move goods cheaply enough into places that carriers and retailers have historically treated as harder to serve. (corporate.walmart.com) ### How big is Walmart’s physical footprint, exactly? Walmart lists 5,212 U.S. retail units as of January 31, 2026, including 3,566 Supercenters, 351 discount stores, 673 Neighborhood Markets, 21 small formats and 601 Sam’s Club locations. On the same page, the company says those stores and clubs are within 10 miles of approximately 90% of the population. (abcnews.com) The 90% figure is broader than Supercenters alone. Walmart’s current corporate language refers to “stores and clubs,” while earlier company materials used similar language to describe 4,700 stores within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population. ### Why does that number matter for delivery? Walmart said on April 9, 2025 that faster delivery, curbside pickup and in-store shopping were helping drive growth, and Chief Executive Doug McMillon told investors the company was using technology and store operations together to improve the customer experience. (corporate.walmart.com) That framing treats stores not only as shopping locations but also as fulfillment points close to where customers live. A November 2023 Walmart corporate post made the same point more directly. The company said parcel stations were meant to shorten delivery times and cited its store base within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population as a reason it could serve customers quickly. ### Where is Walmart strongest in this fight? (corporate.walmart.com) Morgan Stanley said roughly 45% of Walmart’s full-service Supercenters are in communities with populations under 20,000, according to reporting published May 16 by the Associated Press. That matters because the same report said the bank estimated the underserved rural and exurban market could be worth as much as $1 trillion in annual sales. (corporate.walmart.com) The May 16 report said Walmart has a “running start” in rural America because of that network. David Guggina, now chief executive of Walmart U.S., told the AP last fall that customers in those areas want the same services and fast-delivery options available in places such as Manhattan. ### What is Amazon doing in response? (abcnews.com) Amazon said it is investing $4 billion to expand its delivery network across small towns and rural communities in the United States and create more than 100,000 jobs. The company said the build-out is aimed at bringing faster delivery to areas that have had fewer options. (abcnews.com) Andy Jassy wrote in Amazon’s April 9, 2026 shareholder letter that the company had same-day fresh food delivery in more than 2,300 towns and cities across the country. In that letter, Jassy also said the average monthly number of customers receiving same-day deliveries doubled in 2025 from the prior year. ### Is Walmart claiming victory over Amazon? (aboutamazon.com) Walmart has not framed the 90% figure as a declaration of victory. The company has used it to support a broader argument that its stores, pickup network and delivery capabilities can work together as online shopping grows. Amazon, for its part, is spending to narrow the gap in smaller markets rather than conceding them. (aboutamazon.com) The next concrete markers will come from company disclosures: Walmart’s investor materials and quarterly results on its corporate and investor relations pages, and Amazon’s updates on its rural delivery expansion and shareholder communications. (stock.walmart.com) (corporate.walmart.com)