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Auto · Metro area · Colorado

Gas stations in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #68 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado

Listings
1,096
1,021 chain locations (93%)
Official establishments
648
−1.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$3.3B
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,665 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.0
17% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,092,037
+4.1% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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

Households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area spend about $3.3B a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,665 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per station, 25% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 1,096 gas stations on map listings in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area as of September 2026. 1,021 of them (93%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That is 9.0 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 648 businesses with payroll in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area classed as gasoline stations, down 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,885 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 43 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $26.5M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area.

Population estimates show the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #68 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.

How the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area compares

The same measures for Colorado 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compared with Colorado and the U.S.
MeasureDenver-Aurora-Centennial metro areaColoradoU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.010.310.9
Spending per listing$3M$2.7M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,8851,5691,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.4%−2.5%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.1%+3.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,665$2,756$2,595
Median household income$105,762$95,470$80,734
Groundwork market score7069

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
648−1.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,625
Annual payroll, 2023
$195M
One-person businesses, 2023
43Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,0961,021 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,365The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
18
Amount
$26.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
3,092,037+4.1% since 2020
Households
1,221,636
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
8,345 sq. mi.
People per square mile
360
Median household income
$105,762+32.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$140,691
Median home value
$603,800
Jobs located here
1,626,278
Daytime population
3,090,925Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Colorado

Every Colorado market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Colorado for gas stations, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Colorado

Metro areas in Colorado ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fort Collins-Loveland, CO811318.5$3.4M+4.8%#15 of 387
2Greeley, CO7515412.4$2.5M+14.2%#37 of 387
3Colorado Springs, CO742648.7$3.2M+3.1%#42 of 387
4Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO701,0969.0$3M+4.1%#68 of 387
5Boulder, CO64977.1$3.7M−0.7%#105 of 387
6Grand Junction, CO617210.9$2.6M+4.4%#123 of 387
7Pueblo, CO556910.1$2.7M+0.6%#164 of 387

Other business types in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,096 gas stations in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 1,021 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 648 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 43 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $3.3B a year, or $2,665 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,096 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,221,636 households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area has 9.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area would have about 1,365, against 1,096 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,885 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area at 3,092,037 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,221,636 households. Median household income in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area is $105,762, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.8%, 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area scores 70 for gas stations (upper middle), #68 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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.