Auto · County · California
Gas stations in Orange County, CA
The gas stations in Orange County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #331 of 2,358 scored counties
#10 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 691
- 579 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 536
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,875 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 89% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,149,507
- −1.1% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Orange 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 Orange 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
At $2,875 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Orange County spend about $3.1B a year on gasoline and other fuels. Spread across 691 gas stations, that is $4.5M per station, 89% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
There are 691 gas stations on map listings in Orange County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 84% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 41% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 536 businesses with payroll in Orange County classed as gasoline stations, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,020 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $20.3M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Orange County.
Population estimates show Orange County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Orange County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #331 of 2,358 scored counties and #10 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Orange 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 | Orange County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 8.1 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $3.4M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,020 | 1,669 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | +7.2% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,875 | $2,747 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $116,289 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 551 → 536−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,582
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $172M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 691579 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,306The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $20.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Orange 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 Orange County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,149,507−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 1,082,960
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 793 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,991
- Median household income
- $116,289+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,761
- Median home value
- $962,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,713,003
- Daytime population
- 3,381,147Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange 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 |
Other business types in Orange 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 Orange County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 691 gas stations in Orange County. 579 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 536 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Orange County, CA spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $3.1B a year, or $2,875 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 691 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,082,960 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Orange County, CA compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Orange County has 6.4 gas stations per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $4.5M, 89% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, Orange County would have about 1,306, against 691 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,020 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Orange County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Orange County at 3,149,507 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,082,960 households. Median household income in Orange County is $116,289, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Orange County scores 72 for gas stations (upper middle), #331 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange 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 Orange County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.