Mcdonalds Map

by Sandra Hadlock

Key data points

  • The average distance to a McDonald’s in the contiguous 48 states is 3.07 miles from your home.
  • The shortest average distance to a McDonald’s is just 0.16 miles in Crum Lynne, PA.
  • The farthest inhabited area from an American McDonalds in the lower 48 states is in Grand Portage, MN at 88.74 miles away.

McDonald’s has reigned supreme at the top of every “Fast Food by Revenue” list for decades, grossing over 20 billion dollars every year the past 15 years alone.  It is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, with locations in over 100 countries.   Even the Queen of England owns her own branch of McDonald’s.  With just over 39,000 locations globally, it seems like one is never far away. But, how close are you, really, to a McDonald's in the United States?

In June 2021, there were 13,439 McDonald’s operating in the United States. The average distance to a McDonald’s in the contiguous 48 states is 3.07 miles. While the average distance to a McDonald's in Alaska as a whole is 56 miles, when only taking into consideration those cities with populations above 7000, the average distance hovers around 3.68 miles and is nearly identical to the average distance to a McDonald's of 3.69 miles in Hawaii.

Average distance to a McDonald's by state

 

While California boasts the most McDonald’s of any state, housing 9% of all the McDonald’s in the country, the shortest average distance to the restaurant is actually in Pennsylvania. You are just 0.16 miles from a McDonald’s in Crum Lynne, PA.  In US cities with over a million residents, the average distance to a McDonald’s is 1.02 miles

The 10 cities closest to a McDonald's in the US

City
Population (2019)
Average Distance
Nearest Big City
Average Distance for Big City
3,696
0.15 miles
0.79 miles
389
0.16 miles
0.67 miles
3,145
0.18 miles
0.60 miles
2,631
0.19 miles
1.12 miles
2,222
0.21 miles
0.68 miles
1,358
0.22 miles
1.1 miles
1,796
0.22 miles
1.1 miles
1,011
0.26 miles
1.1 miles
1,104
0.28 miles
1.21 miles
1,384
0.28 miles
0.79 miles

Average distance to a McDonald's in America's biggest cities (population > 1 Million)

 

The farthest distance, inhabited or not, from a McDonald’s in the lower 48 states was famously discovered in 2009 and dubbed to be the McFarthest Spot. Located between two towns in South Dakota, the McFarthest Spot was 107 miles from a McDonald’s.  In 2010, the honor was moved to northwestern Nevada, 115 miles from the nearest location.  When the Tonapah, Nevada location shuttered its doors in early 2013, the McFarthest Spot moved again to a dot of BLM land between Las Vegas and Reno, 120 miles from a McDonald’s, where it’s McFarthest dynasty continues today.  

While there are a few McDonald's restaurants across the Canadian border in Ontario that are closer, residents of Grand Portage, MN have to travel 88.74 miles to get to the nearest McDonalds in the United States, the farthest of any city in the lower 48 states. That would make Grand Portage the new McFarthest spot on inhabited American soil. Four of the top five cities farthest from a McDonald’s location are in nearby South Dakota, a state that is an average distance of 15.23 miles to a McDonald’s.

 

The 10 cities farthest from a McDonald's in the US

City
Population (2019)
Average Distance
Closest Big City
Average Distance for Big City
684
88.74 miles
1.08 miles
525
86.96 miles
1.07 miles
308
82.74 miles
1.05 miles
3,385
80.86 miles
1.05 miles
598
79.7 miles
1.05 miles
327
78.75
1.05 miles
258
78.28
1.33 miles
1346
78.26
1.33 miles
308
77.85
1.05 miles
1239
76.39
1.05 miles

 

McDonald’s has been a mainstay in the pop culture world since the 1960s, even spurning its own vocabulary of McWords like McMansion and McJob.  It has as many cynics as it does loyal fans and serves an estimated 69 million people–nearly 1% of the world’s population–a day.  Thanks to the Happy Meal, McDonald’s is the largest toy distributor in the world. They are also the largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes in the country.  You may be hard pressed to find someone over the age of seven who would say McDonald’s is their all-time favorite restaurant, but the iconic golden arches and it’s reputation for cheap and quick food remains right around the corner.