Auto · County · California
Gas stations in Merced County, CA
The gas stations in Merced County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #778 of 2,358 scored counties
#33 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 137
- 112 chain locations (82%)
- Official establishments
- 73
- +9.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $247.5M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Merced County
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 Merced County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 137 gas stations in Merced County. 112 of them (82%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.9, 46% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Households in Merced County spend about $247.5M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,876 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per station, 24% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 73 businesses with payroll in Merced County classed as gasoline stations, up 9.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,179 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $29.4M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Merced County.
Population estimates put the population change in Merced County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, Merced County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #778 of 2,358 scored counties and #33 of 54 scored counties in California.
How Merced County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 8.1 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $3.4M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,179 | 1,669 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.0% | +7.2% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,876 | $2,747 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 67 → 73+9.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 820
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 137112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $29.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Merced County, 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGas stations across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for gas stations, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 97 | 8 | 3.9 | $9M | +8.6% | #1 of 2,358 |
| 2Riverside County, CA | 87 | 568 | 7.3 | $4.2M | +5.0% | #54 of 2,358 |
| 3San Joaquin County, CA | 79 | 258 | 10.5 | $2.9M | +5.5% | #173 of 2,358 |
| 4Placer County, CA | 78 | 164 | 10.4 | $2.8M | +8.9% | #198 of 2,358 |
| 5San Bernardino County, CA | 75 | 695 | 10.3 | $3M | +1.9% | #259 of 2,358 |
| 6Contra Costa County, CA | 74 | 306 | 7.4 | $3.9M | +0.3% | #283 of 2,358 |
| 7Solano County, CA | 74 | 159 | 10.1 | $3M | +0.6% | #295 of 2,358 |
| 8Ventura County, CA | 73 | 211 | 7.5 | $4M | −1.5% | #313 of 2,358 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 73 | 78 | 10.2 | $3M | +0.6% | #321 of 2,358 |
| 10Orange County, CA | 72 | 691 | 6.4 | $4.5M | −1.1% | #331 of 2,358 |
| 33Merced County, CA | 60 | 137 | 15.9 | $1.8M | +5.1% | #778 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Merced County
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 Merced County, CA?
There are 137 gas stations on map listings in Merced County as of September 2026. 112 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 9.0% from 2019. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $247.5M a year, or $2,876 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 137 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Merced County has 15.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.8M, 24% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Merced County would have about 104, against 137 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,179 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 60 for gas stations (upper middle), #778 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced County. 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 Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced County?
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 Merced County. 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.