NC leapfrogs Georgia for 2nd most Dollar General stores in nation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- North Carolina netted 29 Dollar General stores over the prior year, supplanting Georgia.
- Dollar General operates about 1,150 NC stores, mostly in towns under 20k.
- Company expects to open more than 400 new stores in 2026 amid decelerating growth.
The U.S. state with the second most rural residents now has the second most Dollar Generals.
A new annual filing from the discount retailer shows North Carolina is home to more Dollar General stores than every other state except Texas (which not coincidentally has the nation’s largest rural population). The Tar Heel State netted 29 locations over the previous year, gaining one every 13 days on average and supplanting Georgia for the No. 2 spot.
The chain’s black-and-yellow signage has proliferated statewide since the late 2000s, fueled by post-Recession spending habits and North Carolinians who live outside major cities. Dollar General operated 467 North Carolina stores in 2008. By last month, that figure had shot up to 1,150.
There are indications this tally will grow, albeit at a slower pace and not to everyone’s excitement. Dollar General is the biggest U.S. discount chain by number of locations. About 80% of its stores are in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents. North Carolina has around 3.5 million people living in rural communities, according to the U.S. Census, giving the retailer a considerable customer base.
While the company doesn’t consistently beat larger competitors like Walmart on price, it offers geographic proximity the big-box retailers can’t. On an earnings call this month, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said around 75% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a store. The chain outnumbers McDonalds, Starbucks, CVS and Walgreens, by comfortable margins.
Dollar General has the same number of locations (eight) in the smaller cities of Asheboro and New Bern as it does in Raleigh. South of Fayetteville, the city of Lumberton has 10 stores and fewer than 20,000 people. Mount Airy in the Blue Ridge foothills supports 11 stores, roughly one for each 1,000 of its residents.
“There are still rural areas out there that don’t have Dollar Generals, that don’t have too many Dollar Generals,” said Rick Niswander, an emeritus accounting professor at East Carolina University who researches discount chains.
The retreat of rival Family Dollar, Niswander said, creates more room for Dollar General. Founded in Charlotte, Family Dollar has closed hundreds of U.S. stores in the past few years, under first the ownership of Dollar Tree and then a pair of private equity firms.
Grassroots opposition and Dollar General’s sinking stock
Dollar General stores typically span between 7,500 and 10,000 square feet. The company expands by leasing buildings from real estate investment trusts, or REITs. For example, property records show Houston-based Agree Limited Partnership owns Dollar General buildings in Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Garner and Johnston County.
Like data centers and cryptocurrency mines, Dollar General expansion plans have sparked recent community backlash, from Transylvania County’s “No Dollar in the Hollar” campaign in the western mountains to the tiny White Cross community in southern Orange County, where residents in 2023 helped narrowly defeat a Dollar General development. Opposition has focused on the chain’s employee and public safety record, its exterior designs, and concerns it crowds out grocery stores and mom-and-pop shops.
North Carolina also frequently fines Dollar General (and discount competitors like Family Dollar) for overcharging customers at checkout. In February, the state cited three Dollar General stores for price scanning violations. “Dollar General is committed to providing customers with accurate prices on items purchased in our stores, and we are disappointed any time we fail to deliver on this commitment,” the company said in a statement to The News & Observer last year.
Dollar General expects to open more than 400 new stores nationwide in 2026. However, its growth last year decelerated in North Carolina and elsewhere. The company’s stock price, which peaked in late 2022 at around $260 a share, now trades below $120. And on its March 12 earnings call, the company forecasted subdued sales as lower-income customers tighten discretionary spending.
As Dollar General’s stock has fallen, Walmart’s has shot up on the back of strong e-commerce sales and superior economies of scale. It takes Walmart less than a month to generate the revenue Dollar General makes in a whole year. “They’re the gorilla,” Niswander said. “I mean, ultimately, on a survival of the fittest basis, Walmart’s gonna win.”
On Tuesday, Dollar General announced its next CEO would be JJ Fleeman, a retail executive who currently heads the parent company behind the major Salisbury-based grocery chain Food Lion. His familiarity with North Carolina could come in handy as he seeks a turnaround.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
