What is a pharmacy desert?
A pharmacy desert is an area where residents lack reasonable access to a local pharmacy. Usually, this means when residents must travel long distances (over 10 miles) to get to the closest pharmacy. Currently, over 48 million Americans live in pharmacy deserts, which equates to about one in every seven people. Rural residents, low-income communities, and communities of color are most at risk of living in a pharmacy desert.
Why does this matter?
Lack of access to pharmacies can have downstream effects, like poor medication adherence, problems managing chronic diseases, and less access to preventive care.
Pharmacy deserts by the numbers
- 48 million Americans (about one in seven) live in a pharmacy desert. (GoodRx)
- Over 10 miles to the nearest pharmacy is a common threshold that defines a desert. (Ohio State University College of Pharmacy)
- About one in three US pharmacies closed between 2010 and 2021. (USC Schaeffer Center / Health Affairs)
- Pharmacy counts fell in 41 states between 2018 and 2021. (USC Schaeffer Center)
- $5 million-plus was awarded by Oregon in July 2026 for prescription lockers, delivery, and telepharmacy. (Oregon Health Authority, via KBOI)
Pharmacy closures and bankruptcies
Pharmacies have been closing at an increasing rate over the past 15 years. According to research from the University of Southern California, about one in three pharmacies closed between 2010 and 2021. In 41 states, the number of pharmacies went down between 2018 and 2021. Among the pharmacy bankruptcies last year were Rite Aid and Partners Pharmacy Services.
What’s going on around the U.S.?
In Kapa’au, Hawaii, a rural town with a population of about 7,000, the only pharmacy for many miles recently closed. Prescriptions were transferred to a pharmacy in Waimea, about 20 miles away. Kapa’au’s population is primarily made up of residents over age 60, and many have trouble getting to Waimea.
In November 2025, in Gualala, California, the only pharmacy along 60 miles of coastline shut down. Now some residents must travel more than 90 minutes to get prescriptions.
In one neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, a drugstore recently closed, creating a pharmacy desert for those living in the area.
Are there options?
A recent article in AJMC suggested that hospital specialty pharmacies could help with the issues caused by pharmacy deserts. Sometimes hospital pharmacies are the last stable healthcare option in a community and can provide access when needed. They can provide comprehensive care and have experts overseeing medication management. And having a 340B program can increase access, services, and programs that could significantly help patients and their communities.
Learn more about how VytlOne’s 340B pharmacy programs expand access, services, and savings for the communities that need them most.
What should we keep an eye on?
In July 2026, the Oregon Health Authority gave the Pharmacy Foundation of Oregon over $5 million to bring secure prescription lockers, staffed prescription delivery, and telepharmacy services to certain communities in the state, like rural and frontier ones.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pharmacy desert?
A pharmacy desert is an area where residents lack reasonable access to a local pharmacy, usually defined as living more than 10 miles from the nearest one, or shorter distances in dense urban areas without a vehicle. About 48 million Americans, roughly one in seven, live in a pharmacy desert. Rural residents, low-income communities, and communities of color are most affected. The distance matters because it drives poorer medication adherence, harder chronic-disease management, and less access to preventive care.
How many Americans live in pharmacy deserts?
About 48 million Americans, roughly one in seven people, live in a pharmacy desert, according to GoodRx research. The burden is not spread evenly: rural residents, low-income communities, and communities of color are the most likely to lack a nearby pharmacy. The problem is growing as pharmacies close, which pushes more neighborhoods past the distance threshold that defines a desert.
Why are pharmacies closing?
Pharmacies have closed at an increasing rate over the past 15 years. University of Southern California research found that about one in three US pharmacies closed between 2010 and 2021, and the number of pharmacies fell in 41 states between 2018 and 2021. Recent bankruptcies, including Rite Aid, have added to the trend. Independent and lower-income-area pharmacies are especially vulnerable, which is a major driver of new pharmacy deserts.
How do pharmacy deserts affect health?
When people cannot easily reach a pharmacy, the downstream effects are significant: poorer medication adherence, harder management of chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, and reduced access to preventive services such as vaccinations and screenings. Older adults and people without reliable transportation are hit hardest, as recent closures in rural Hawaii and coastal California show, where some residents now travel an hour or more to fill a prescription.
How can pharmacy deserts be solved?
There is no single fix, but several approaches help. Hospital and health-system specialty pharmacies can serve as a stable access point, offering comprehensive care and expert medication management, and 340B programs can expand the services and access they provide. States are investing too: in July 2026, Oregon awarded more than $5 million for secure prescription lockers, staffed delivery, and telepharmacy in rural and frontier communities. Telepharmacy, delivery, and mapping tools that identify gaps all play a role.
Links of interest
- Pharmacy Deserts: An Update for 2026. VytlOne. February 16, 2026.
- Pharmacy Deserts in the United States: A Continuing Crisis. VytlOne. November 18, 2025.
- Too far to fill: The growing problem of pharmacy deserts in America. VytlOne. June 2, 2025.
- Pharmacy deserts: A growing problem in the U.S. VytlOne. December 2, 2024.
- Wittenauer, Rachel, et al. Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: a geospatial study. Health Affairs Scholar. March 16, 2024.
- Murphy, Michael and Rodis, Jennifer. The growing crisis of pharmacy deserts. The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. April 28, 2025.
- Our tool to help you identify pharmacy deserts across the country. National Community Pharmacists Association. April 16, 2026.