Insights
Insights
Research and analysis from our hardware store location data.
Lowe's Has 1,766 Stores and Added Just 5 Since April
Lowe's lists 1,766 US stores in our October data, up 5 from April. Home Depot added 11 and Tractor Supply 59. Lowe's grew slowest of the six chains we track.
3,501 US Cities Have Just One Hardware Chain. Usually It's Ace.
Six chains run 13,165 US stores across 6,198 cities. More than half of those cities have exactly one of them, and 62% have no Home Depot or Lowe's at all.
Home Depot Is Opening 12 Stores in 2026. Its Supply Arm Has 1,200 Branches.
Home Depot added 7 US locations between April and September, 7 of the 12 it announced for 2026. Its retail footprint is no longer where the growth is.
Tractor Supply Opened 47 Stores in Five Months. Next Year It's Slowing Down.
Tractor Supply added 47 locations between April and September 2026, and 29 went into towns with no Home Depot or Lowe's. Its 2027 target just dropped.
Harbor Freight Reached 1,647 Locations. In 323 of Its Cities There's No Home Depot or Lowe's.
Harbor Freight reached 1,647 US locations in March 2026. 323 of its cities have no big box rival, but only 124 have no rival chain of any kind at all.
Ace Hardware Has More US Locations Than Home Depot and Lowe's Combined
Ace Hardware has 4,947 US locations, more than Home Depot and Lowe's together, and it's the only one of six chains in 2,271 cities. The co-op model explains it.