Alarming number of pharmacies closing nationwide leaving more pharmacy deserts
WASHINGTON (TNND) — The days of having a convenient pharmacy in every neighborhood are becoming a thing of the past for many Americans.
Nearly 50 million people in the United States– 1 in 7– now live in so-called ‘pharmacy deserts,’ areas with limited access to a local pharmacy. Spotlight on America has exclusive new research numbers and investigates how this growing trend is impacting access to healthcare.
Empty storefronts
Empty pharmacy storefronts are becoming increasingly common across the United States, leaving many communities without easy access to essential medications and healthcare services.
In Silver Spring, Maryland, a Walgreens closure has left residents like Marlon Nelson frustrated. "I used to get my vaccines here. Like my flu vax every year and my covid vax," Nelson said. When asked about his reaction to the closure, he added, "I was really mad."
Terrance Smith, another Maryland resident, highlighted the inconvenience for his community. "My mother lives right here, so a lot of people in her building frequent this pharmacy. So, it has been inconvenient for them," he said.
One-third of pharmacies closed
Between 2010 and 2021, one-third of all pharmacies nationwide closed, according to a study by The Ohio State University. The research determined nearly half (46 percent) of the more than three thousand (3,143) counties nationwide were left with at least one pharmacy desert, where residents had to travel 10 miles or more to the nearest retail pharmacy.
“We can see this impacting both large chain pharmacies and small family-owned independent pharmacies across the country. It's impacting from the east coast to the west coast in both rural and urban neighborhoods,” Dr. Michael Murphy, an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at Ohio State, told Spotlight on America.
Murphy is conducting ongoing research at OSU and shared exclusive, preliminary findings with Spotlight on America. Over just the two years from 2022 through 2024, he says, their research shows more than 7,000 pharmacies closed nationwide, and in 2024 alone, 2,800 pharmacies closed.
“We're seeing a dramatic and frightening trend, which is that these closures seem to be increasing in prevalence,” Murphy said.
Rural Communities impacted most
Research published by GoodRx in March had similar findings, showing 48.4 million people, 1 in 7, now live in areas where filling a prescription requires a lengthy drive of 15 minutes or more.
An interactive map created by GoodRx shows nearly half of all counties in the U.S. designated as pharmacy deserts. While both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas are affected, the findings indicate rural areas are impacted most, with the highest percentage of counties with pharmacy deserts in these states:
- Alaska: 82%
- North Dakota: 81%
- Montana: 79%
- South Dakota: 74%
- Nebraska: 70%
- Kansas: 68%
- Wyoming: 61%
Impact on patients & providers
Dr. Colin Banas is Chief Medical Officer with DrFirst. He talked with Spotlight on America about the impact on patient care.
"Our patients are frustrated. Our providers are frustrated. Patients aren't able to get their prescriptions, and inevitably that leads to bad outcomes," Banas said.
He warned that research shows living in a pharmacy desert increases the likelihood of severe health issues due to medication non-adherence.
“If you live in a pharmacy desert, you are more likely to have a heart attack or you are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital, and it can all be traced back to adherence,” he explained.
Another significant concern he expressed is that losing more pharmacies takes away a key resource for frontline preventive care.
“I bet you they'll see their pharmacist five or six times in a year. They might see me once or twice,” Banas said. “You can get vaccines (at a pharmacy), you can get screening and screening labs. Some pharmacists even have the ability to prescribe.”
Murphy says the OSU research shows pharmacy closures are having the most significant impact on communities already in need.
“Concerningly, the initial research that I'm conducting with my colleagues is finding that in medically underserved areas, those areas more disproportionately have the possibility to be impacted by pharmacy deserts,” Murphy said. “(They’re) losing access to pharmacies, which may be their only healthcare provider for many miles.”
Struggle to remain profitable
Despite the critical role pharmacies play in preventive care, many struggle to remain profitable.
“Right now, the current pharmacy model is not sustainable, and that's why we are seeing more and more pharmacies close,” said OSU professor Michael Murphy.
CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., told Spotlight on America that it has been “realigning our retail footprint, reducing store density and optimizing our existing stores and pharmacies” for the past several years.
The company closed 900 stores between 2022 and 2024 and “expects to close 235 by the end of 2025 (less than the 270 originally projected).”
A CVS spokesperson told us in a statement, “Store closure decisions are based on several factors, including population shifts, consumer buying patterns, and store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access, and community health needs.”
Walgreens is on track to close double the number of stores that CVS did this year, announcing it will shutter 500 stores in 2025.
And after 63 years in business, Rite Aid closed all of its remaining stores as of this October, after two bankruptcies.
Spotlight reached out to both Walgreens and Rite Aid for comment, but did not hear back.
“Some of us who live in suburbia perhaps and have access to multiple pharmacies, might not have realized this is actually a phenomenon and a growing phenomenon,” Banas said.
Solutions being looked at to help bridge the gap in pharmacy access include greater use of mail-order pharmacies and telehealth options, but those don’t work for every situation, especially when there’s an emergency.
Dr. Banas says he believes technology will have to be part of the solution.
“I think we need to get creative and we need to get creative more quickly,” he said, “whether through logistics or improving the ordering process, the delivery process.”
