Study: KFC closed 300-plus U.S. stores in past year
One of the largest quick-serve fried chicken chains is trimming its store count in the United States, according to a new analysis.
Local AI search visibility platform Local Falcon compared KFC's public store locator from July 15, 2025, to July 6, 2026, and verified each removed listing against Google Maps. The analysis showed that at least 312 KFC restaurants marked permanently closed on Google Maps, or 7.64% of the more than 4,000 locations listed at the start of the period.
Among the 38 states with at least 20 KFC locations at the start of the period, Kansas saw the largest decrease with 21.1% of its KFC restaurants closing, from 38 down to 30. Louisiana follows at 16.1%, Alabama at 13.4% and Tennessee at 13.3%. California saw the most closures in raw numbers, with 44 locations now marked permanently closed on Google Maps, followed by Texas at 34 and Ohio at 18. Between them, California and Texas account for 78 of the 312 closures, a quarter of the national total.
A subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc., KFC operates more than 34,000 restaurants in over 150 countries. Last month, the chain announced the launch of a widespread effort to update its business that includes next-generation store concepts and a new focus on boneless chicken menu items.
“Over the past year, a little over six KFC restaurants a week were marked closed, and the pattern isn't random,” said David Hunter, CEO of Local Falcon. “The losses cluster in a handful of states like Kansas and Louisiana that each gave up more than a tenth of their footprint, while states like Utah and Rhode Island came through the same window without a single closure on the map."
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Additional insights from the Local Falcon KFC report include the following:
- San Antonio is the hardest-hit city in the country: The city lost seven KFC locations over the year, more than any other city, and more than 35 entire states combined. Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and Memphis, Tenn., follow with four closures each.
- The losses cluster in the South and Lower Midwest: Kansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee each lost more than a tenth of their KFC restaurants, while Oregon, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Washington did as well.
- Three states came through the year untouched: Utah (40 restaurants), Rhode Island (17) and New Hampshire (13) have recorded zero closures on Google Maps since July 15, 2025.
Methodology
Local Falcon compared KFC's official store directory on July 15, 2025, and July 6, 2026, drawing the earlier snapshot from the Wayback Machine and the later one directly from KFC's live store locator. Store listings that had disappeared over the period were independently verified against Google Maps, and only those Google marked permanently closed were counted, resulting in the final figure of 312.
The count reflects Google Maps' permanent-closure designation and may miss relocations or restaurants closed but not yet reclassified. Local Falcon says the true number of closures may be higher. The full data can be found here.
