Walmart is the largest company in America, with total revenue of over $600 billion. It also employs over a million people in the United States. Walmart was started in Arkansas, and many of the states with the largest Walmart location count are nearby. (Here are the biggest grocery store chains in North America.)
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Walmart has 4,720 store locations in the United States. It claims its store footprint is so large that 90% of Americans are within 10 miles of one of its stores. While the number may seem fantastic, it may be true in states with high store counts. Its first store was opened in 1962.

Founder Sam Walton died in 1992. His family is among the richest in America. Three Walton family members are among the top 15 richest people in the United States: Jim Walton ($59 billion), Rob Walton ($56 billion) and Alice Walton ($55 billion). S. Robson Walton sits on the Walmart board of directors and is its retired chairperson.

The store distribution of Walmart is close to the distribution of the U.S. population, although the match is not exact. Texas has 601 locations, by far the most in America. Texas is the second-largest state by population. Florida is next with 386. It ranks third in population among all states. California is third in Walmart stores (320) and first in population.

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Further down the list of stores by state is a concentration in the south, and it is less related to population than those in the three largest states measured by residents. This includes Georgia (215), Tennessee (151), Alabama (144) and Louisiana (138). No one has given an adequate explanation for this concentration.

Walmart is also at the top of sales per location. According to Retailer 100, Walmart’s figure is higher than direct competitors. Target has 1,950 stores. If proximity to population is key to sales, Walmart has a huge advantage.

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