Auto · Metro area · Alabama
Gas stations in the Decatur, AL metro area
The gas stations in the Decatur, AL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #300 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 133
- 104 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- −14.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $206.4M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,294 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.2
- 94% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,326
- +2.5% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Decatur metro area
The site report maps the gas stations on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Decatur metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for gas stations in the Decatur metro area is 34 (lower middle), #300 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 133 gas stations in the Decatur metro area. Chain locations make up 78% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 21.2 for every 10,000 households, 94% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $3,294 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in the Decatur metro area spend about $206.4M a year on gasoline and other fuels. Spread across 133 gas stations, that is $1.6M per station, 35% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Decatur metro area in 2023, down 14.7% from 2019. That is one for every 570 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $574K has gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Decatur metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Decatur metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Decatur metro area compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all gasoline and other fuels by the gas stations counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Decatur metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.2 | 18.4 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.6M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 570 | 647 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.7% | −4.0% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,294 | $3,007 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $68,116 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 110−14.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 529
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 133104 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $574K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Decatur metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Decatur metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,326+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 62,667
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,270 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 124
- Median household income
- $68,116+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,472
- Median home value
- $202,500
- Jobs located here
- 58,542
- Daytime population
- 149,857Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Decatur metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the gas stations on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Decatur metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGas stations across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for gas stations, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Decatur metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 59 | 271 | 13.2 | $2.3M | +12.5% | #137 of 387 |
| 2Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 57 | 129 | 13.1 | $2.4M | +14.8% | #153 of 387 |
| 3Auburn-Opelika, AL | 46 | 134 | 17.5 | $1.7M | +7.1% | #230 of 387 |
| 4Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 42 | 105 | 16.5 | $1.9M | +3.5% | #255 of 387 |
| 5Decatur, AL | 34 | 133 | 21.2 | $1.6M | +2.5% | #300 of 387 |
| 6Tuscaloosa, AL | 32 | 207 | 19.6 | $1.5M | +2.9% | #319 of 387 |
| 7Dothan, AL | 30 | 106 | 17.4 | $1.6M | +3.4% | #325 of 387 |
| 8Birmingham, AL | 29 | 936 | 20.1 | $1.5M | +1.4% | #330 of 387 |
| 9Mobile, AL | 28 | 241 | 14.9 | $1.9M | −0.7% | #333 of 387 |
| 10Anniston-Oxford, AL | 28 | 71 | 15.8 | $1.9M | −0.3% | #334 of 387 |
Other business types in the Decatur metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gas stations are in the Decatur, AL metro area?
There are 133 gas stations on map listings in the Decatur metro area as of September 2026. 104 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 14.7% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Decatur, AL metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $206.4M a year, or $3,294 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 62,667 households in the Decatur metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Decatur, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Decatur metro area has 21.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 94% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.6M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Decatur metro area would have about 87, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 570 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Decatur, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Decatur metro area at 160,326 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 62,667 households. The median household income in the Decatur metro area is $68,116 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Decatur metro area scores 34 for gas stations (lower middle), #300 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Decatur metro area. It maps the gas stations on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for gas stations · All 56 business types in the Decatur metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Decatur metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Decatur metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.