Sam’s Club vs. Costco in Every State: Which Corners the Market?

Wholesale warehouses like Sam’s Club and Costco require a membership to get in, so chances are, people are more loyal to one or the other. The stores are very similar: both offer deep discounts for buying in bulk, have similar interiors and have additional services, like eye centers and cafes.

The differences between the two start with the cost of membership. Sam’s Club costs $50 per year for a Club membership and $110 per year for a Plus membership. Plus offers additional perks like free shipping, free curbside pickup, pharmacy savings and optical savings.

Costco costs $60 per year for the Gold Star membership and $120 per year for the Executive membership, so it’s cheaper to go with Sam’s Club. The Costco Executive membership offers similar perks to Plus, like Costco service discounts and an annual 2% reward.

If you’re wondering which retailer is cheaper, you can find customers online claiming both stores. It really depends on the item, the season and the store’s current promotions. But if you’re wondering which is more common in your state, there’s a clear answer. GOBankingRates researched which of the two mega warehouses is more common in each state — plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Read on to find out.

• Costco locations: 4
• Sam’s Club locations: 13
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 5
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 20
• Sam’s Club locations: 12
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 9
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 137
• Sam’s Club locations: 29
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 16
• Sam’s Club locations: 17
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 8
• Sam’s Club locations: 1
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 1
• More common: Tie

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 30
• Sam’s Club locations: 45
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 17
• Sam’s Club locations: 24
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 7
• Sam’s Club locations: 2
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 7
• Sam’s Club locations: 1
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 23
• Sam’s Club locations: 25
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 9
• Sam’s Club locations: 13
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 4
• Sam’s Club locations: 9
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 3
• Sam’s Club locations: 9
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 4
• Sam’s Club locations: 9
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 3
• Sam’s Club locations: 14
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 3
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 11
• Sam’s Club locations: 11
• More common: Tie

• Costco locations: 6
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 17
• Sam’s Club locations: 23
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 13
• Sam’s Club locations: 12
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 7
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 9
• Sam’s Club locations: 19
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 5
• Sam’s Club locations: 2
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 3
• Sam’s Club locations: 5
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 8
• Sam’s Club locations: 7
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 2
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 21
• Sam’s Club locations: 7
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 3
• Sam’s Club locations: 7
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 19
• Sam’s Club locations: 12
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 10
• Sam’s Club locations: 22
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 2
• Sam’s Club locations: 3
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 13
• Sam’s Club locations: 27
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 4
• Sam’s Club locations: 13
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 13
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 11
• Sam’s Club locations: 24
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 5
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 0
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Neither

• Costco locations: 6
• Sam’s Club locations: 14
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 2
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 7
• Sam’s Club locations: 14
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 38
• Sam’s Club locations: 82
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 14
• Sam’s Club locations: 8
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 1
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 17
• Sam’s Club locations: 15
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 33
• Sam’s Club locations: 0
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 0
• Sam’s Club locations: 5
• More common: Sam’s Club

• Costco locations: 11
• Sam’s Club locations: 10
• More common: Costco

• Costco locations: 0
• Sam’s Club locations: 2
• More common: Sam’s Club

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed each state to find the total number of Costco locations and Sam’s Club locations. GOBankingRates used Costco’s Warehouse List by State from Costco.com to find the Costco store locations’ names, addresses and phone numbers. GOBankingRates found the Sam’s Club Locations using AllStays Sam’s Club Locations and confirming with Sam’s Club’s Club Finder. Once the total number of locations for each stores for each state was found, each state was compared to find out which store is more common per state. All data was collected and is up to date as of March 14, 2024.

This article was updated on April 22, 2024, to reflect the correct number of Sam’s Club locations in each state.