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Gas stations in Monterey County, CA

How Monterey County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #663 of 2,358 scored counties
#28 of 54 scored counties in California

Listings
151
125 chain locations (83%)
Official establishments
116
+11.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$398.5M
On gasoline and other fuels · $3,008 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
11% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.4
5% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
433,729
−1.5% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in Monterey 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 Monterey County. 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

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Monterey County comes to about $398.5M a year: $3,008 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each station on map listings, 11% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

Monterey County has 151 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 83% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.4, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 116 businesses with payroll in Monterey County classed as gasoline stations, up 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,142 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $16.2M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Monterey County.

Population estimates put the population change in Monterey County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gas stations, Monterey County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #663 of 2,358 scored counties and #28 of 54 scored counties in California.

How Monterey 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.

Gas stations in Monterey County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureMonterey CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.48.110.9
Spending per listing$2.6M$3.4M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,1421,6691,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+11.5%+7.2%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$3,008$2,747$2,595
Median household income$97,230$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6266

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
104 → 116+11.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,141
Annual payroll, 2023
$41M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
151125 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
167The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$16.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Monterey 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 Monterey County

Population, 2025 estimate
433,729−1.5% since 2020
Households
132,489
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
3,282 sq. mi.
People per square mile
133
Median household income
$97,230+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,514
Median home value
$781,000
Jobs located here
167,373
Daytime population
429,093Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Monterey 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 Monterey County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for gas stations, numbered among those based in California, with Monterey County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA9783.9$9M+8.6%#1 of 2,358
2Riverside County, CA875687.3$4.2M+5.0%#54 of 2,358
3San Joaquin County, CA7925810.5$2.9M+5.5%#173 of 2,358
4Placer County, CA7816410.4$2.8M+8.9%#198 of 2,358
5San Bernardino County, CA7569510.3$3M+1.9%#259 of 2,358
6Contra Costa County, CA743067.4$3.9M+0.3%#283 of 2,358
7Solano County, CA7415910.1$3M+0.6%#295 of 2,358
8Ventura County, CA732117.5$4M−1.5%#313 of 2,358
9El Dorado County, CA737810.2$3M+0.6%#321 of 2,358
10Orange County, CA726916.4$4.5M−1.1%#331 of 2,358
28Monterey County, CA6215111.4$2.6M−1.5%#663 of 2,358

Other business types in Monterey County

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in Monterey County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 151 gas stations in Monterey County. 125 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 116 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 11.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Monterey County, CA spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $398.5M a year, or $3,008 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 151 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 132,489 households in Monterey County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Monterey County, CA compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

Monterey County has 11.4 gas stations per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.6M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, Monterey County would have about 167, against 151 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,142 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Monterey County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Monterey County at 433,729 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 132,489 households. Median household income in Monterey County is $97,230, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. Monterey County scores 62 for gas stations (upper middle), #663 of 2,358 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Monterey 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 Monterey County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Monterey 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 Monterey 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.