Which states have the most Walmart stores scheduled for closure in 2025?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows small, scattered Walmart closures in 2025 rather than a concentrated, multi‑state wave; multiple outlets list individual U.S. store shutdowns (not thousands) with California appearing most frequently in lists of affected locations (examples: San Diego, El Cajon, West Covina, Fremont, Granite Bay) [1]. Walmart also publicly denied broad plans to close stores in 2025, saying “There are no current plans to close any stores in 2025,” which complicates tallies that claim larger, multi‑state counts [2].
1. What the available reporting actually documents: a handful of closures, not a mass retreat
Several news pieces and roundups describe Walmart closing “a handful” or “nearly a dozen” specific stores in 2024–2025 and identify individual locations slated to shutter, but they do not present a single, authoritative national tally showing which state has the most 2025 closures beyond listing those locations [3] [1] [4]. FinanceBuzz and TheStreet both reference named store closures such as the Coon Rapids, Minnesota store and several California sites, illustrating that closures are site‑specific rather than an announced, broad retrenchment [5] [1].
2. California repeatedly shows up in closure lists — often the most mentioned state
Multiple outlets and lists highlight California locations by name and count more closures there than in other states: TheStreet’s reporting names San Diego, El Cajon, West Covina, Fremont and Granite Bay as planned 2025 closures [1], and international and aggregator pieces also single out California as the most affected state in some tallies [4] [6]. Based on the available reporting, California appears to be the state most frequently cited for 2025 Walmart store shutdowns [1] [4].
3. Walmart’s public denial complicates reporting and raises questions about source accuracy
Fast Company reports that Walmart told reporters “There are no current plans to close any stores in 2025,” and that an earlier list of supposed 2025 closures originated from an erroneous UK Mirror story; Fast Company says Walmart sought corrections from outlets that repeated the list [2]. That firm denial means some published lists may reflect outdated 2024 closures, local announcements, or reporting errors, so any claim about “most closures by state” must be treated cautiously [2].
4. Aggregators and tabloids amplify lists — cross‑checking is weak
Several outlets reproducing closure lists (The Mirror, Eldiario24, usearch-style aggregators) circulate similar counts and state breakdowns, but they appear to rely on each other or on partial lists rather than on a central Walmart release; that results in repeated claims like “11 stores” or “six states” without consistent sourcing [6] [7] [8]. Fast Company’s fact‑check shows at least one such list was mistaken, demonstrating how reprints can amplify errors [2].
5. Context: closures tied to “optimization,” not company health — competing narratives
Walmart spokespeople and earnings commentary frame closures as “store footprint optimization” focused on underperforming formats, while corporate results reported by outlets show Walmart expanding online, opening new stores, and growing profits — a mixed picture that supports targeted closures but contradicts narratives of broad retrenchment [3] [1]. TheStreet quotes executives stressing healthy financials even as specific stores are closed for underperformance [3] [1].
6. What we can and cannot conclude from the current reporting
We can conclude that reporting identifies specific closures concentrated in a few states, with California cited most often across those pieces [1] [4]. We cannot definitively rank states by the number of 2025 Walmart closures from the available sources because there is no single, corroborated, company‑published list in the provided material and Walmart has denied company‑wide closure plans for 2025 [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention a complete, verified state-by-state count for 2025 beyond named location lists (not found in current reporting).
7. How to get a definitive answer
For a reliable state ranking you need either a company‑supplied closure list (Walmart corporate statements or the official store status page) or a vetted database that compiles local notices and company confirmations; Walmart’s official store status/closures pages and press office are the obvious primary sources but were not presented as a comprehensive 2025 closure list in the materials provided [9]. Until such a primary, consolidated source is published and cross‑checked, reporting that names California as the most affected state should be considered a best‑available inference rather than a definitive ranking [1] [2].