Walgreens is expected to close fewer than 100 U.S. stores in 2026, but the available evidence does not include a complete official list of affected locations. Customers should verify their specific store rather than assume it is closing based on its state, neighborhood or the broader restructuring plan. If a location is confirmed as closing, Walgreens says prescriptions and pharmacy records can be moved to another Walgreens, with delivery options also available.
What is verified about the 2026 closures
A September 2026 report says Walgreens is expected to close fewer than 100 stores during the year, compared with an earlier internal projection of 700 closures. The same report says the company previously announced plans in 2024 to close roughly 1,200 underperforming stores over three years. Those figures describe the broader strategy, not a verified list of every store closing in 2026.
A separate report published in August listed 15 locations as already closed. The locations were in California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin. That list included stores at 1301 Market Street in San Francisco; 12041 Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers; three Illinois addresses in Chicago, Rockford and Deerfield; two Missouri addresses in Bridgeton and St. Louis; 120 Court Street in Brooklyn; 1294 Ribaut Road in Beaufort; 1805 Greens Road in Houston; 1301 S. Joyce Street in Arlington; 2400 S. Jackson Street in Seattle; 1815 Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.; and 2727 W. North Avenue in Milwaukee.
Because the list comes from a secondary report and Walgreens’ supplied store-closure page does not publish a complete 2026 location list, it should not be treated as a definitive nationwide directory. The evidence cannot confirm whether a particular reader’s store is closing unless Walgreens or the store itself provides a location-specific notice.
How to check your Walgreens and protect a prescription schedule
Start with the exact store address, not just the city or state. Check Walgreens’ official store-closing information page and contact the pharmacy directly to ask whether the location is closing, when service ends and which pharmacy should handle future refills. A local notice may contain details that are not reflected in general news coverage.
If the store is closing, Walgreens says customers can choose another Walgreens location when requesting a refill online or in the app. Customers who refill in person or by phone can call a nearby Walgreens pharmacy and find a new location. The company says its pharmacies have access to prescriptions, records and insurance information, although the receiving pharmacy should still confirm that the prescription is ready and that the selected location is correct.
Customers using Auto Refill need to update the location separately. Walgreens says users can select a new pharmacy for Auto Refill. The company also warns that changing the preferred shopping store online does not change the preferred pharmacy, so changing a store in the shopping interface is not enough to redirect prescriptions.
Delivery is an option, but check the limits
If another nearby Walgreens is not practical, Walgreens lists multiple prescription-delivery options. Same-day and one- to two-day delivery are available within a 20-mile radius from most pharmacies for as low as $3.99, according to the company. The exact availability depends on the pharmacy and delivery area, so customers should confirm the option during the refill process.
Walgreens also lists free five- to 10-day shipping through its fulfillment center. That may reduce the delivery cost, but it is slower than a local pickup or expedited delivery. Anyone who may run out of medication before shipping is complete should contact the pharmacy before placing the order and confirm the expected arrival date.
What customers should not assume
A store in a state named in a closure report is not automatically affected. The supplied evidence does not establish that every location in those states is closing, and it does not provide a final count or universal deadline beyond reports describing closures during 2026. It is also unsafe to infer closure status from reduced hours, a temporary stock problem or a change in the online store locator.
The most reliable decision point is a location-specific notice from Walgreens or direct confirmation from the pharmacy. Ask for the replacement location, the date the current pharmacy stops operating, whether Auto Refill has been moved and whether the next prescription will be pickup or delivery. Keep the confirmation details until the first refill is successfully processed.
What could change the answer
The conclusion will change if Walgreens publishes a complete 2026 closure list or a specific store notice. That document could verify the affected address, the closing date and any transition instructions. Until then, the reports support a broad warning that Walgreens is reducing its footprint, but they do not prove that an individual customer’s store is on the list.
The useful question is not whether Walgreens is closing stores generally, but whether a specific pharmacy is affected and how quickly a customer needs to act. Secondary reports point to fewer than 100 closures in 2026 and identify several locations that reportedly already closed, but the supplied Walgreens page does not provide a complete official list. Walgreens does document the operational response: customers can move refills, update Auto Refill and use delivery when another nearby pharmacy is not practical. The main uncertainty is location-level verification, so the next meaningful milestone is an official notice or direct confirmation for the exact store address.
Sources and methodology
- Walgreens Is Closing Stores in These States By the End of the Year—See if Yours Is on the List - https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/walgreens-closing-stores-states-end-201918839.html
- Walgreens Closing Stores in 2026: Full List of Locations - https://www.merca20.com/walgreens-closing-stores-in-2026-full-list-of-locations
- Walgreens Store Closing Information - https://www.walgreens.com/topic/pharmacy/store-closures.jsp
- How Many Walgreens Stores Are Closing in the US? - https://www.planetdrugsdirect.com/articles/how-many-walgreens-stores-are-closing-in-the-us
