Auto · County · California
Gas stations in Santa Clara County, CA
The gas stations in Santa Clara County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #451 of 2,358 scored counties
#16 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 457
- 391 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 333
- +18.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.8B
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,749 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 66% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,914,391
- −0.9% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 457 gas stations in Santa Clara County. Chain locations make up 86% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That is 6.9 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Households in Santa Clara County spend about $1.8B a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,749 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4M per station, 66% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Santa Clara County was 333 in 2023, up 18.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,980 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $11.9M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Santa Clara County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Clara County declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gas stations in Santa Clara County is 68 (upper middle), #451 of 2,358 scored counties and #16 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Santa Clara 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 | Santa Clara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 8.1 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.4M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,980 | 1,669 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.9% | +7.2% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,749 | $2,747 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $164,281 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 280 → 333+18.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,419
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $101M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 457391 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 760The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $11.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,914,391−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 659,353
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,291 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,473
- Median household income
- $164,281+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $227,008
- Median home value
- $1,490,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,140,081
- Daytime population
- 2,082,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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 |
| 16Santa Clara County, CA | 68 | 457 | 6.9 | $4M | −0.9% | #451 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County, CA?
Santa Clara County has 457 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 391 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 333 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 18.9% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Clara County, CA spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $1.8B a year, or $2,749 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 457 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $4M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 659,353 households in Santa Clara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Clara County, CA compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Santa Clara County has 6.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $4M, 66% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Santa Clara County would have about 760, against 457 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,980 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Clara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Clara County at 1,914,391 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 659,353 households. The median household income in Santa Clara County is $164,281 a year, twice the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Santa Clara County scores 68 for gas stations (upper middle), #451 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.