If you’ve been making mental notes to pick up prescriptions at your usual CVS or Walgreens, you might want to check whether that store will still be there next week. Because America’s two biggest pharmacy chains are in full retreat—and millions of Americans are about to feel the pain.
The numbers are staggering
Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores over three years, with 500 shutting down in fiscal 2025 alone. The chain’s CEO, Tim Wentworth, admitted they’ve already closed about 2,000 locations over the past decade, and roughly 25% of their remaining stores aren’t even profitable.
CVS isn’t far behind. The pharmacy giant is closing 270 additional locations this year, piled on top of the roughly 900 stores they’ve already axed between 2022 and 2024. That’s over 1,170 CVS locations gone in just four years.
Combined, we’re looking at nearly 770 CVS and Walgreens stores closing their doors in 2025 alone—and that doesn’t even count the smaller chains getting wiped out entirely.
It gets worse
Speaking of smaller chains getting wiped out—Rite Aid, once America’s third-largest pharmacy chain, closed its final 89 stores in early October 2025. All of them. The 63-year-old company filed for bankruptcy twice (in October 2023 and May 2025) but couldn’t recover.
So we’re not just watching CVS and Walgreens trim their footprints—we’re witnessing the complete collapse of an entire major competitor, which removes any pressure on the remaining chains to keep prices competitive or maintain convenient locations.
Why the pharmacy apocalypse?
The corporate speak about “optimizing store footprint” is just a polite way of saying “we’re hemorrhaging money. Here’s what’s squeezing traditional pharmacy chains:
- Insurance companies slashing reimbursement rates, making it harder to profit from prescriptions.
- Razor-thin profit margins on prescriptions forcing chains to rely on front-of-store sales.
- Online pharmacies eating into foot traffic (ironically, often run by the same companies closing stores).
- Rising labor costs and rampant shoplifting in urban areas.
- Overlapping locations—having three Walgreens within two miles was always overkill.
Enter “pharmacy deserts”
Here’s where this gets concerning: These closures are creating “pharmacy deserts”—areas where people have little to no reasonable access to pharmacies. According to recent data, 48.4 million Americans now live in pharmacy deserts.
California has been hit hardest with 35 Walgreens closures, followed by Massachusetts with 28 and Colorado with 20. Massachusetts alone has lost 282 pharmacies since 2010, leaving about 525,000 residents in “pharmacy near-deserts.”
What this means
- Longer drives for prescriptions—a genuine crisis for seniors, people with disabilities, or anyone with chronic conditions requiring regular refills.
- Higher prices because less competition means retailers can charge more.
- Insurance headaches—independent pharmacies often don’t accept Medicare/Medicaid or negotiate worse rates, meaning your $10 copay could jump to $150.
The game plan
Big-box pharmacies: Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s Club have better prices, and Costco’s pharmacy is open to non-members for prescriptions.
Go digital: Amazon Pharmacy, Hims, Hers, and traditional chains’ delivery services will mail prescriptions to your door. Compare prices first—convenience sometimes costs more.
Verify insurance first: Before transferring prescriptions, confirm your new pharmacy accepts your insurance. Check your insurer’s website or call ahead.
Look for rewards programs: Loyalty programs offering cashback, discounts, or fuel points can offset the hassle of switching.
Smart shopping expert Trae Bodge recommends: “Make sure to compare prices before getting set up with these services. Big-box and wholesale clubs also sell personal care, and most have their own pharmacies, so it’s worth checking prices there too.”
Bottom line
Check if your local CVS or Walgreens is on the closure list before your next pharmacy run—nobody wants the surprise of showing up to a locked door:
- CVS closure list by state
- Walgreens’ official closure information
- Interactive map of Walgreens closures
Transfer your prescriptions proactively, compare prices across multiple providers, and have a backup plan ready. Because in late 2025, your neighborhood pharmacy might literally cease to exist overnight—and with Rite Aid already gone and the two remaining giants cutting locations aggressively, your options are shrinking fast.