Consumer spending is the primary driver of economic growth in the United States. After climbing for eight consecutive years, U.S. consumer spending hit an all-time high of $13.4 trillion in 2017.
But it is where Americans choose to spend their money that is key to the success of many companies. For customer facing businesses — such as retail stores, banks, gyms, and restaurants — the ability to get people in the door means the difference between success and failure.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed foot traffic patterns provided by data service company Placed Insights, which calculated the percentage of Americans 13 and older who visited various stores in April 2018. We also reviewed U.S. sales and store count data from company financial documents.
The most popular stores in the country tend to share several common qualities. Notably, they all sell items that are practical, everyday necessities such as food, clothing, or medicine, and therefore are not limited to a singular target demographic.
Eight of the 25 most popular stores in the country are fast food restaurants. Several more, including Walmart, Kroger, and Target are grocery stores or department stores with grocery sections.
Not only do the most popular stores have broad appeal, but also they are nearly ubiquitous. Each of the companies on this list has hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of stores in the United States.
The companies on this list often invest considerably in advertising to increase their brand’s visibility and build a reliable customer base. Multiple companies on this list have among the largest advertising budgets. For brands like Dunkin Donuts, Home Depot, and Walgreens, ad spending reached several hundred million dollars in 2016 alone. Target and Bank of America each spent more than $1 billion that year, while Walmart’s ad spending topped $2 billion — two-thirds of which went to television spots.
Click here to see the 25 most popular stores in America.
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
25. Wells Fargo
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 11.1%
> % of bank visitors in April: 19.0%
> # of U.S. stores: 8,300 (worldwide)
> Annual revenue: $88.4 billion
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Source: Pavone / Shutterstock.com
24. Kroger
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 11.1%
> % of grocery store shoppers: 14.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 2,782
> Annual revenue: $122.7 billion
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
23. Chase
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 11.7%
> % of bank visitors in April: 19.9%
> # of U.S. stores: 5,130
> Annual revenue: $99.6 billion
Source: MollyNZ / Getty Images
22. Applebee’s
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 11.7%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 12.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 1,858
> Annual revenue: $634.0 million
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Source: typhoonski / iStock
21. Family Dollar
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 12.0%
> % of discount store shoppers in April: 20.5%
> # of U.S. stores: 8,185
> Annual revenue: $22.3 billion (parent company)
Source: Nicholas Eckhart / Wikimedia Commons
20. Best Buy
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 14.0%
> % of computers & electronics store shoppers in April: 32.3%
> # of U.S. stores: 1,500 (worldwide)
> Annual revenue: $42.2 billion
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Source: Ildar Sagdejev / Wikimedia Commons
19. Rite Aid
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 14.2%
> % of pharmacy shoppers in April: 24.3%
> # of U.S. stores: 4,536
> Annual revenue: $32.8 billion
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Source: jetcityimage / iStock
18. Lowe’s
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 14.2%
> % of hardware store shoppers in April: 30.3%
> # of U.S. stores: 1,839
> Annual revenue: $68.6 billion
Source: Mike Mozart / Flickr
17. Dollar General
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 14.6%
> % of discount store shoppers in April: 25.0%
> # of U.S. stores: 14,609
> Annual revenue: $23.5 billion
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Source: Thinkstock
16. United States Postal Service
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 15.6%
> % of post office visitors in April: 93.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 30,825
> Annual revenue: $69.6 billion
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/
15. 7-Eleven
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 16.1%
> % of gas station & convenience store shoppers in April: 23.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 7,925
> Annual revenue: $11.8 billion (parent company)
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Source: tupungato / iStock
14. Dunkin’ Donuts
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 16.2%
> % of bagel & doughnut store shoppers in April: 70.1%
> # of U.S. stores: 9,141
> Annual revenue: $860.5 million
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Source: phillyskater / iStock
13. The Home Depot
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 17.3%
> % of hardware store shoppers in April: 36.8%
> # of U.S. stores: 1,980
> Annual revenue: $100.9 billion
Source: typhoonski / iStock
12. Shell
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 18.9%
> % of gas station & convenience store shoppers in April: 27.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 13,794
> Annual revenue: $305.2 billion (parent company)
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Source: jetcityimages / iStock
11. Wendy’s
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 19.2%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 20.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 6,634
> Annual revenue: $1.2 billion (parent company)
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/
10. Burger King
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 20.5%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 21.8%
> # of U.S. stores: 7,212
> Annual revenue: $4.6 billion (parent company)
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Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/
9. Dollar Tree
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 21.2%
> % of discount store shoppers in April: 36.2%
> # of U.S. stores: 6,425
> Annual revenue: $22.2 billion
Source: lawcain / iStock
8. Taco Bell
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 21.5%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 22.8%
> # of U.S. stores: 6,446
> Annual revenue: $1.8 billion
Source: Jay Reed / Flickr
7. Target
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 24.3%
> % of department store shoppers in April: 33.3%
> # of U.S. stores: 1,829
> Annual revenue: $71.9 billion
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Source: Ron Cogswell / Flickr
6. CVS
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 25.0%
> % of pharmacy shoppers in April: 42.7%
> # of U.S. stores: 9,800+ (Americas)
> Annual revenue: $184.8 billion
Source: jetcityimage / iStock
5. Starbucks
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 33.0%
> % of cafe, coffee houses & tea house visitors in April: 86.1%
> # of U.S. stores: 13,930
> Annual revenue: $22.4 billion
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Source: Anthony92931 / Wikimedia Commons
4. Walgreens
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 33.1%
> % of pharmacy shoppers in April: 56.5%
> # of U.S. stores: 7,979
> Annual revenue: $118.2 billion (parent company)
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Source: Michael Rivera / Wikimedia Commons
3. Subway
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 37.1%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 39.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 25,393
> Annual revenue: N/A
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/walmartcorporate/
2. Walmart
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 51.4%
> % of department store shoppers in April: 70.4%
> # of U.S. stores: 4,761
> Annual revenue: $500.3 billion
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Source: typhoonski / iStock
1. McDonald’s
> % of shoppers visiting in April: 52.8%
> % of restaurant visitors in April: 56.1%
> # of U.S. stores: 14,036
> Annual revenue: $22.8 billion
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