Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Arizona

Gas stations in the Safford, AZ area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Safford, AZ area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 85 out of 100: High

Ranked #10 of 536 scored small-town markets
#1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Arizona

Listings
17
14 chain locations (82%)
Official establishments
13
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$41M
On gasoline and other fuels · $3,217 a household
Spending per listing
$2.4M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.3
22% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
40,157
+4.0% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Safford 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 Safford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Safford area scores 85 (high) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #10 of 536 scored small-town markets and #1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Arizona. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gas stations.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Safford area comes to about $41M a year: $3,217 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each station on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 17 gas stations on map listings in the Safford area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 82% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That is 13.3 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Safford area in 2023. That is one for every 980 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Safford area grew 4.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Safford area compares

The same measures for Arizona 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.

Gas stations in Safford, AZ area compared with Arizona and the U.S.
MeasureSafford areaArizonaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.35.910.9
Spending per listing$2.4M$4.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment9801,7921,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.1%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.0%+6.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$3,217$2,632$2,595
Median household income$67,325$79,964$80,734
Groundwork market score8583

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
13
Employees, 2023
128
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1714 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
17The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Safford 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 Safford area

Population, 2025 estimate
40,157+4.0% since 2020
Households
12,746
Median age
35.5
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
4,622 sq. mi.
People per square mile
8
Median household income
$67,325+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,219
Median home value
$212,000
Jobs located here
9,824
Daytime population
35,369Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Safford area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Safford area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Arizona

Every Arizona market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Arizona for gas stations, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Safford area marked.

Top small-town markets in Arizona

Small-town markets in Arizona ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Safford, AZ851713.3$2.4M+4.0%#10 of 536
2Nogales, AZ781810.6$2.7M+4.8%#36 of 536
3Show Low, AZ515614.0$1.9M+3.0%#263 of 536
4Payson, AZ513916.5$1.6M+0.9%#268 of 536

Other business types in the Safford area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Safford, AZ area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 17 gas stations in the Safford area. 14 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.

How much do households in the Safford, AZ area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $41M a year, or $3,217 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,746 households in the Safford area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Safford, AZ area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Safford area has 13.3 gas stations per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 980 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.

How fast is the Safford, AZ area growing?

Population estimates put the Safford area at 40,157 people in 2025, up 4.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,746 households. Median household income in the Safford area is $67,325, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.1%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Safford area scores 85 for gas stations (high), #10 of 536 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Safford 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 Safford area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Safford 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 Safford 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.