The Only 3 States In The Country That Don't Have A Costco

Few places bring out as many emotions as Costco does. This big bulk, membership-only warehouse chain has just about everything and anything your heart desires. If you need a 27-pound bucket of mac and cheese, a 7-pound tub of Nutella, or something from its highly rated Kirkland Signature brand, this store is for you. And while the most popular Costco food products in every state might surprise you (and leave you scratching your head as to why people in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington are nabbing boxes of Trident fish sticks), what might be even more perplexing is the fact that three states in the U.S. do not have one of these warehouses.

You might think remote places like Alaska or Montana are the unfortunate states, but you would be wrong. If Wyoming, West Virginia, and Rhode Island are on your Bingo card, you're a winner, as these are Costco-free. Sadly, if residents of these states want to get one luxury ingredient for a steal at Costco, they cannot. Why don't they have a Costco? It's a great question.

Only Costco can say for sure, but maybe the folks in these states do not meet the Costco shopper demographics. Simon Blanchard, an associate professor at Georgetown University who studies marketing strategy and research, told CNBC, "The choice of where Costco and Sam's Club locate stores is probably based on accessibility and income — it's not random." 

This may explain why 23% of these warehouse stores dot the state of California, with San Diego claiming a rather large chunk of that percentage. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the median income for the city of San Diego was $105,780 in 2023. Compare this to the overall United States' real median household income of $80,610 in 2023, and you will see that San Diego has more buying power.

But perhaps there is still hope for Wyoming, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Wyoming has two Sam's Club locations, and West Virginia has five. It seemed like Rhode Island was on the brink of getting a Costco at the beginning of 2024, but it somehow got derailed. Maine was without a Costco until 2023, when a city outside Portland became home to its first store. It could happen, after all, everyone deserves access to those truly gourmet foods you can buy at Costco.