Market Concentration – Walmart and Groceries

The Visual Capitalist added another graphic example of the increasing concentration, monopolization, of markets, in this case for groceries. Even here in Hudson NY we can see the impact of Walmart locally. Two years ago we had three large supermarkets within 4 miles. Price Chopper gave up the ghost leaving us with two, Walmart and ShopRite.

While it’s more likely for a small town to become dominated by a single grocer, Walmart’s clout isn’t exclusive to rural America. Even in Springfield, Missouri — with a regional population of half a million people — the big box retailer still boasts a sizable market share of 66%.

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Under guidelines established by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, markets in which one corporation captures more than 50% of revenue are defined as “highly concentrated.” Walmart’s market share meets or exceeds this measure in 43 metropolitan areas and 160 smaller markets around the United States.[note]Routley, Nick. “Visualizing Walmart’s Domination of the U.S. Grocery Market.” Visual Capitalist. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/walmart-grocery-market-concentration/.[/note]

Rank	Metro/Region	Population	Walmart Market Share
#1	Atchison, Kansas	16,580	95%
#2	Portales, New Mexico	19,730	95%
#3	Sterling, Colorado	22,068	91%
#4	Deming, New Mexico	24,699	90%
#5	Guymon, Oklahoma	21,385	90%
#6	North Platte, Nebraska	37,043	87%
#7	Wahpeton, N.D.– Minnesota	23,036	84%
#8	Coffeyville, Kansas	33,434	83%
#9	Othello, Washington	19,806	83%
#10	Bismarck, North Dakota	135,654	83%
#11	Helena-West Helena, Arkansas	20,176	80%
#12	Altus, Oklahoma	25,931	77%
#13	Parsons, Kansas	20,761	77%
#14	Miami, Oklahoma	32,260	77%
#15	Sweetwater, Texas	15,101	77%
#16	Grenada, Mississippi	21,706	76%
#17	Huron, South Dakota	18,082	75%
#18	Greensburg, Indiana	26,711	74%
#19	Clarksdale, Mississippi	25,085	74%
#20	Dumas, Texas	22,485	74%