Market rankings · Iowa
Gas stations in Iowa
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Iowa, ranked by the Groundwork market score for gas stations, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,367
- 1,133 chain locations (83%)
- Official establishments
- 1,680
- −2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.8B
- On gasoline and other fuels
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.4
- 5% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #27 of 51
- Market score 47 · Lower middle
A site report maps the gas stations on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 1,367 gas stations on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 83% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.4, 5% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $2,867 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Iowa spend about $3.8B a year on gasoline and other fuels. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each station on map listings, 16% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,680 businesses with payroll in Iowa classed as gasoline stations, down 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 783 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count fell 3.1% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #27 for gas stations, with a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores highest (70). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest (77).
Every market in Iowa for gas stations
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 70 | 169 | 5.7 | $4.9M | +6.7% | #63 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 68 | 293 | 7.5 | $3.6M | +4.2% | #75 of 387 |
| 2Ames, IA | 67 | 38 | 7.6 | $3.7M | +2.2% | #82 of 387 |
| 3Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 57 | 50 | 7.2 | $3.9M | +0.5% | #143 of 387 |
| 4Iowa City, IA | 56 | 65 | 9.0 | $2.9M | +4.1% | #156 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 53 | 104 | 9.1 | $3.1M | +1.0% | #172 of 387 |
| 6Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 46 | 66 | 11.9 | $2.5M | +1.0% | #224 of 387 |
| 7Dubuque, IA | 31 | 54 | 13.2 | $2.1M | +0.1% | #320 of 387 |
| 8Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 26 | 214 | 13.2 | $2M | −0.9% | #341 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 77 | 16 | 12.0 | $2.7M | +2.3% | #41 of 536 |
| 2Marshalltown, IA | 74 | 11 | 7.1 | $4.3M | −0.5% | #56 of 536 |
| 3Oskaloosa, IA | 69 | 8 | 9.2 | $3.4M | −1.2% | #79 of 536 |
| 4Le Mars, IA | 68 | 8 | 7.8 | $4.1M | 0.0% | #86 of 536 |
| 5Clinton, IA | 61 | 26 | 13.3 | $2.2M | −0.9% | #153 of 536 |
| 6Mason City, IA | 56 | 16 | 7.0 | $4M | −1.5% | #203 of 536 |
| 7Spencer, IA | 52 | 8 | 11.0 | $2.5M | −0.8% | #242 of 536 |
| 8Fort Madison, IA | 51 | 19 | 13.3 | $2.2M | −3.6% | #261 of 536 |
| 9Ottumwa, IA | 50 | 17 | 12.1 | $2.3M | −0.3% | #274 of 536 |
| 10Storm Lake, IA | 48 | 11 | 14.6 | $2.1M | −1.7% | #300 of 536 |
| 11Spirit Lake, IA | 48 | 15 | 17.0 | $1.8M | +1.7% | #301 of 536 |
| 12Muscatine, IA | 47 | 24 | 13.8 | $2.1M | −3.0% | #306 of 536 |
| 13Burlington, IA-IL | 40 | 28 | 14.1 | $2M | −2.5% | #374 of 536 |
| 14Fort Dodge, IA | 40 | 24 | 15.6 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #375 of 536 |
| 15Carroll, IA | 21 | 18 | 20.5 | $1.3M | −2.0% | #495 of 536 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 82 | 20 | 4.7 | $6.1M | +17.8% | #105 of 2,358 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 81 | 15 | 7.3 | $4.3M | +9.0% | #126 of 2,358 |
| 3Madison County, IA | 76 | 6 | 9.0 | $3.6M | +3.8% | #232 of 2,358 |
| 4Boone County, IA | 74 | 8 | 7.3 | $4.3M | +0.4% | #281 of 2,358 |
| 5Johnson County, IA | 72 | 44 | 6.9 | $3.7M | +4.6% | #334 of 2,358 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 71 | 92 | 4.5 | $6M | +4.8% | #358 of 2,358 |
| 7Story County, IA | 71 | 30 | 7.7 | $3.5M | +2.7% | #362 of 2,358 |
| 8Marshall County, IA | 67 | 11 | 7.1 | $4.3M | −0.5% | #475 of 2,358 |
| 9Marion County, IA | 66 | 16 | 12.0 | $2.7M | +2.3% | #518 of 2,358 |
| 10Plymouth County, IA | 63 | 8 | 7.8 | $4.1M | 0.0% | #609 of 2,358 |
| 11Black Hawk County, IA | 62 | 41 | 7.5 | $3.6M | +0.4% | #641 of 2,358 |
| 12Linn County, IA | 62 | 76 | 7.9 | $3.5M | +0.7% | #643 of 2,358 |
| 13Mahaska County, IA | 62 | 8 | 9.2 | $3.4M | −1.2% | #645 of 2,358 |
| 14Grundy County, IA | 61 | 6 | 11.7 | $2.7M | +0.2% | #704 of 2,358 |
| 15Benton County, IA | 60 | 14 | 13.7 | $2.5M | +1.8% | #746 of 2,358 |
| 16Woodbury County, IA | 59 | 41 | 10.1 | $2.8M | +0.7% | #785 of 2,358 |
| 17Buchanan County, IA | 57 | 11 | 13.3 | $2.4M | +1.3% | #866 of 2,358 |
| 18Mills County, IA | 57 | 9 | 16.7 | $2M | +2.6% | #878 of 2,358 |
| 19Delaware County, IA | 56 | 10 | 13.6 | $2.3M | +1.3% | #909 of 2,358 |
| 20Union County, IA | 55 | 5 | 9.8 | $2.8M | −2.5% | #942 of 2,358 |
| 21Clinton County, IA | 52 | 26 | 13.3 | $2.2M | −0.9% | #1,073 of 2,358 |
| 22Floyd County, IA | 51 | 7 | 10.8 | $2.9M | −4.4% | #1,105 of 2,358 |
| 23Page County, IA | 51 | 7 | 11.2 | $2.4M | −2.3% | #1,114 of 2,358 |
| 24Jackson County, IA | 51 | 11 | 13.3 | $2.4M | −0.8% | #1,115 of 2,358 |
| 25Jones County, IA | 51 | 14 | 17.1 | $1.8M | +2.9% | #1,134 of 2,358 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Cerro Gordo County, IA | 50 | 14 | 7.2 | $3.8M | −1.5% | #1,145 of 2,358 |
| 27Fayette County, IA | 49 | 7 | 8.4 | $3.5M | −2.1% | #1,192 of 2,358 |
| 28Clayton County, IA | 49 | 8 | 10.7 | $2.8M | −1.1% | #1,195 of 2,358 |
| 29Scott County, IA | 48 | 83 | 11.3 | $2.3M | +0.4% | #1,254 of 2,358 |
| 30Iowa County, IA | 48 | 10 | 14.5 | $2.2M | −1.0% | #1,258 of 2,358 |
| 31Sioux County, IA | 48 | 24 | 18.9 | $1.8M | +2.5% | #1,276 of 2,358 |
| 32Guthrie County, IA | 48 | 11 | 23.9 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #1,289 of 2,358 |
| 33Dubuque County, IA | 47 | 54 | 13.2 | $2.1M | +0.1% | #1,309 of 2,358 |
| 34Hardin County, IA | 46 | 7 | 9.9 | $2.9M | −2.2% | #1,341 of 2,358 |
| 35Clay County, IA | 45 | 8 | 11.0 | $2.5M | −0.8% | #1,384 of 2,358 |
| 36Jasper County, IA | 45 | 25 | 16.7 | $1.8M | +0.9% | #1,400 of 2,358 |
| 37Wapello County, IA | 43 | 17 | 12.1 | $2.3M | −0.3% | #1,457 of 2,358 |
| 38Lee County, IA | 43 | 19 | 13.3 | $2.2M | −3.6% | #1,460 of 2,358 |
| 39Hamilton County, IA | 43 | 10 | 15.5 | $2M | −0.5% | #1,466 of 2,358 |
| 40O’Brien County, IA | 43 | 10 | 17.2 | $1.8M | +0.5% | #1,471 of 2,358 |
| 41Cedar County, IA | 43 | 14 | 18.4 | $1.8M | −0.7% | #1,473 of 2,358 |
| 42Pottawattamie County, IA | 42 | 55 | 14.6 | $1.9M | −0.7% | #1,505 of 2,358 |
| 43Buena Vista County, IA | 41 | 11 | 14.6 | $2.1M | −1.7% | #1,540 of 2,358 |
| 44Lyon County, IA | 41 | 11 | 24.6 | $1.4M | +3.6% | #1,565 of 2,358 |
| 45Muscatine County, IA | 40 | 24 | 13.8 | $2.1M | −3.0% | #1,578 of 2,358 |
| 46Dickinson County, IA | 40 | 15 | 17.0 | $1.8M | +1.7% | #1,589 of 2,358 |
| 47Kossuth County, IA | 39 | 10 | 15.3 | $2.1M | −3.2% | #1,618 of 2,358 |
| 48Harrison County, IA | 38 | 13 | 21.3 | $1.5M | +0.4% | #1,666 of 2,358 |
| 49Des Moines County, IA | 37 | 22 | 12.8 | $2.1M | −2.0% | #1,696 of 2,358 |
| 50Louisa County, IA | 37 | 9 | 21.2 | $1.6M | −3.7% | #1,712 of 2,358 |
| 51Appanoose County, IA | 36 | 8 | 15.4 | $1.9M | −1.7% | #1,741 of 2,358 |
| 52Chickasaw County, IA | 36 | 10 | 20.0 | $1.6M | −2.8% | #1,751 of 2,358 |
| 53Jefferson County, IA | 35 | 8 | 11.5 | $2.3M | −2.5% | #1,775 of 2,358 |
| 54Webster County, IA | 35 | 24 | 15.6 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #1,782 of 2,358 |
| 55Tama County, IA | 35 | 14 | 20.8 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #1,793 of 2,358 |
| 56Shelby County, IA | 35 | 13 | 26.6 | $1.2M | −0.2% | #1,806 of 2,358 |
| 57Winnebago County, IA | 34 | 5 | 10.8 | $2.5M | −3.8% | #1,812 of 2,358 |
| 58Montgomery County, IA | 34 | 7 | 15.3 | $1.9M | −3.2% | #1,814 of 2,358 |
| 59Crawford County, IA | 32 | 13 | 20.5 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #1,891 of 2,358 |
| 60Washington County, IA | 32 | 21 | 23.4 | $1.3M | +0.6% | #1,903 of 2,358 |
| 61Poweshiek County, IA | 26 | 13 | 16.7 | $1.7M | −1.4% | #2,072 of 2,358 |
| 62Cass County, IA | 25 | 11 | 18.8 | $1.5M | −1.2% | #2,107 of 2,358 |
| 63Henry County, IA | 22 | 18 | 23.5 | $1.2M | −5.4% | #2,182 of 2,358 |
| 64Carroll County, IA | 20 | 18 | 20.5 | $1.3M | −2.0% | #2,209 of 2,358 |
| Bremer County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.1 | $10M | +1.1% | |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.7 | $8.5M | −1.6% | |
| Butler County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.4 | $10M | −2.0% | |
| Allamakee County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.0 | $6.3M | +1.2% | |
| Wright County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.6 | $5.4M | −0.9% | |
| Cherokee County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.9 | $5M | −2.4% | |
| Hancock County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.6 | $3.7M | −2.2% | |
| Mitchell County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $5M | +0.6% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $4.3M | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 9.8 | $3.2M | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 15.0 | $2M | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 13 | 30.2 | $1M | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 12.3 | $2.3M | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 7 | 16.6 | $1.9M | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.6 | $3M | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $3.9M | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 9.4 | $3.5M | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.6 | $2.8M | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.4 | $5.6M | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 15.3 | $1.9M | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 10 | 25.8 | $1.2M | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 9.8 | $3.1M | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $5.1M | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $10.7M | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.3 | $5.5M | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 8 | 27.6 | $1.1M | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 20.0 | $1.6M | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 13 | 42.6 | $712K | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 15.6 | $1.9M | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 9 | 31.9 | $1M | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 11.4 | $2.9M | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $4M | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 15.4 | $1.8M | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 26.3 | $1.2M | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 6.5 | $4.7M | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 gas stations on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many gas stations are in Iowa?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,367 gas stations in Iowa. 1,133 of them (83%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 1,680 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 2.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Iowa spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $3.8B a year, or $2,867 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,367 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Iowa has 10.4 gas stations per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.8M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, Iowa would have about 1,582, against 1,367 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 783 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for gas stations?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores highest, at 70 (upper middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 64 scored counties in Iowa, Dallas County scores highest, at 82 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 47 for gas stations (lower middle), #27 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. 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.
Gas stations in other states
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Top markets for gas stations across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Related business types in Iowa
- Auto repair and car care5,496 listings
- Auto repair shops3,172 listings
- Collision repair and body shops511 listings
- Car washes and detailing671 listings
- Tire shops578 listings
- Oil change and quick lube59 listings
- Insurance agencies2,325 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.