The US City With The Most Aldi Locations (It's Not NYC)

I didn't know what Aldi was until I moved to the Midwest, having grown up in U.S. states without a single location. I'll never forget my first introduction, though. The produce and packaged foods stacked in cardboard boxes caught me off guard. So did the low prices and great quality. I was sold on Aldi after that first grocery trip and delighted that I had relocated near the U.S. city with the most Aldi locations. It's not New York City, even though The Big Apple has the highest population in the country. Instead, the city with the most Aldi locations is a place known for speakeasies and deep dish pizza; it's the home of the original Rainbow Cone, the Gym Shoe Sandwich, and the Atomic Cake: Chicago.

New York City has 26 Aldi locations within about an hour of Times Square, which is set to get its first Aldi store in 2026. But there are 33 Aldi locations in the city of Chicago and its suburbs, with new stores opening as recently as November 2025. There are a dozen more across the Illinois-Indiana state line in Northwest Indiana — less than an hour away from the Windy City. While Chicago takes the cake for the most Aldi stores, other cities that top the list as of December 2025 include Philadelphia (15), Houston (14), Orlando (13), and Jacksonville (12).

Chicago is located just three hours away from Iowa City, where the first U.S. Aldi opened in 1976. Soon after the German grocer established its first location in America, it expanded its presence through the Midwest, making Chicago a reasonable hotspot for Aldi stores. But the Aldi obsession isn't confined to the city. A strong love for Aldi is a regional tradition, and the Midwest market represents a significant amount of Aldi's American presence. Illinois has the most Aldi stores in the Midwest, with 218 locations. It's the U.S. state with the second-highest number of stores overall, behind Florida's 286 stores. Ohio — home to many Midwest comfort foods — comes in third with 175 stores.

Aldi has big changes planned for 2026, including a goal to open approximately 800 new U.S. locations by 2030 and to bring some cities (like Portland, Maine) their very first Aldi store. A couple of Chicago locations are part of those plans, including in the city's South Loop and West Loop. The latter will be part of a mixed-use project in which an Aldi store will be constructed at the base of a new 25-story building that will house retail and apartment spaces.