Auto · Metro area · California
Gas stations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #54 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 705
- 541 chain locations (77%)
- Official establishments
- 572
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.2B
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,746 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.6M
- 91% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 45% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 705 gas stations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 541 of them (77%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 6.0 for every 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $2,746 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area spend about $3.2B a year on gasoline and other fuels. Spread across 705 gas stations, that is $4.6M per station, 91% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 572 businesses with payroll in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area classed as gasoline stations, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,048 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 13 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $26.4M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gas stations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #54 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area 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 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 8.1 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $4.6M | $3.4M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,048 | 1,669 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +7.2% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,746 | $2,747 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 572+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,099
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $166.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 705541 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,349The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $26.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for gas stations, numbered among those based in California, with the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 82 | 1,263 | 8.7 | $3.6M | +3.5% | #12 of 387 |
| 2Stockton-Lodi, CA | 75 | 258 | 10.5 | $2.9M | +5.5% | #34 of 387 |
| 3Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 74 | 211 | 7.5 | $4M | −1.5% | #39 of 387 |
| 4Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 73 | 141 | 7.4 | $3.9M | −0.4% | #46 of 387 |
| 5Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 73 | 738 | 8.4 | $3.3M | +3.2% | #47 of 387 |
| 6Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 72 | 73 | 7.5 | $3.9M | −4.7% | #50 of 387 |
| 7San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 71 | 705 | 6.0 | $4.6M | −0.6% | #54 of 387 |
| 8San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 71 | 465 | 6.8 | $4.1M | −0.6% | #56 of 387 |
| 9San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 70 | 91 | 8.3 | $3.6M | 0.0% | #65 of 387 |
| 10Vallejo, CA | 70 | 159 | 10.1 | $3M | +0.6% | #67 of 387 |
Other business types in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area?
There are 705 gas stations on map listings in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area as of September 2026. 541 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 572 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $3.2B a year, or $2,746 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 705 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $4.6M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 6.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $4.6M, 91% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area would have about 1,349, against 705 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,048 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. The median household income in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area is $106,268 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 71 for gas stations (upper middle), #54 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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.