{"id":2840,"date":"2025-07-14T16:10:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T16:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/?p=2840"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:41:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T16:41:59","slug":"what-is-pharmacy-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/news-press\/news\/what-is-pharmacy-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Pharmacy Desert \u2014 And Are You in One?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reviewed by Adam Gardner<\/a>, Licensed Pharmacist & COO of TelyRx<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"types
An infographic depicting the various types of pharmacy deserts via TelyRx.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My dad called me last week from his home in Southern Nevada, sounding noticeably worried. At 82, he’d been living independently and managing a thyroid condition for years, but a recent bout of dizziness made driving feel unsafe. His usual pharmacy was only four miles away, but in his current condition, it was now completely out of reach. “I’m in trouble here,” he said, his voice quieter than normal. “I need my levothyroxine, but I can’t drive like this.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

Four miles. That’s barely a five-minute drive. Yet for my father, it represented an impossible barrier between him and the medication keeping him healthy. And from 400 miles away, I couldn’t step in to bridge that gap.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

This is when I realized my dad wasn’t just dealing with a temporary inconvenience. He was trapped in what experts call a “pharmacy desert” \u2014 and it had nothing to do with geography.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

The term might sound abstract, but the reality is devastatingly concrete. When you can’t reach your medications safely, consistently, or without major life disruptions, you’re in a desert. The distance might be measured in miles, or it might be measured in the gap between your current circumstances and the medications you need to stay healthy.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Brick-and-mortar pharmacies are closing at an unprecedented rate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what might surprise you: 1 in 7 Americans \u2014 over 48.4 million people \u2014 live in areas <\/span>officially classified as pharmacy deserts<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> But this number doesn’t capture the millions more who, like my father, face personal barriers that make pharmacy access just as challenging.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

You might be one of them, even if you’ve never thought about it in these terms.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture a rural Montana town where residents have to endure an 85-minute, 36-mile round trip drive just to pick up a medication. This scenario defines what experts call a pharmacy desert: any area where people must travel more than 10 miles to reach the nearest pharmacy.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the prevalence of traditional pharmacy deserts, the numbers tell a stark story. 82% of Alaska\u2019s counties qualify, followed by North Dakota at 81%, Montana at 79%, South Dakota at 74%, and Nebraska at 70%. And the crisis is accelerating nationwide. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a 2024 report issued by the National Community Pharmacists Association, there are now <\/span>2,200 fewer pharmacies<\/span><\/a> than there were just four years ago, while the Associated Press reports that Walgreens alone plans to <\/span>shutter another 1200 stores<\/span><\/a> over the next 3 years. <\/span>The current pharmacy shortage in the U.S. is truly unprecedented. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rural communities are especially vulnerable because <\/span>76.5% of their pharmacies are small independent operations<\/span><\/a>. When these family-owned op<\/span>erations close, entire counties can be left without a single pharmacy.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As TelyRx co-founder Thomas McKinney noted in a <\/span>recent column on NJ.com<\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

“When pharmacies close in areas already short of doctors and other healthcare services, it creates a potentially life-threatening situation for people who have chronic conditions and depend on consistent medication access.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Functional pharmacy deserts exist anywhere circumstances, such as long lines for those with mobility issues, impede access to essential medications.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Now here’s where things get personal \u2014 and where my dad’s story could easily become everyone\u2019s story.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

If you think about what a “desert” really means \u2014 a place depleted of resources or lacking easy access to what you need \u2014 then pharmacy deserts exist far beyond geographic boundaries. You may live within a few blocks of a pharmacy, but if you can’t get there safely, during operating hours, or without major logistical or financial challenges, then aren’t you essentially living in a pharmacy desert, too?<\/span> <\/span><\/p>

Consider these scenarios that create invisible but very real barriers:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>