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In the Natural State, retail is in a state of decline. Arkansas is gearing up for the loss of 19 stores among the six chains on our list, giving it a closure rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents. Nearly 3 million people lived in Arkansas in 2016.
Louisiana may be known as Sportsman’s Paradise, but it’s hardly a paradise for the six retailers on our list. The state is poised to lose 31 stores, translating to a closure rate 0.66 per 100,000 residents. The state was home to nearly 4.7 million people in 2016.
Massachusetts is the most populous state on our list. Spread among the state’s more than 6.8 million residents, the 46 planned store closures in Massachusetts amount to a closure rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents.
Kansas is also feeling the pain of store closures. Altogether, 20 stores are set to shut down this year in the Sunflower State, translating to a store closure rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents. In 2016, the state had a population of a little over 2.9 million.
Among the six chains, 21 store closures are on tap for Mississippi. That results in a store closure rate of 0.70, based on the state’s population of nearly 3 million in 2016.
North Dakota is one of the least populous states in the U.S., with nearly 758,000 residents in 2016. And that explains why it’s sustaining a significant loss of stores on a per capita basis. Of the six chains we examined, only six stores are shutting down, but that works out to 0.79 stores for every 100,000 residents.
In all, 34 closures have been announced in Oklahoma for the six chains we featured on our list. That results in a closure rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, based on the state’s 2016 population of more than 3.9 million.
Maine doesn’t boast a lot of residents — a little over 1.3 million in 2016. That’s why just a handful of store closures in the Pine Tree State make a considerable dent. The 12 announced store closures in Maine add up to a closure rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents.
The faces of Mount Rushmore must be frowning, as South Dakota is bearing a relatively large brunt of the store closures. With eight scheduled store closures, South Dakota is experiencing a closure rate of 0.92 stores per 100,000 residents.
Wyoming, the smallest state by population, isn’t losing many stores among the six chains — just six. However, with a population of less than 600,000 last year, that works out to a closure rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents. And that’s enough to put it atop our list.
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