Auto · Metro area · Iowa
Gas stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 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 #63 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 169
- 147 chain locations (87%)
- Official establishments
- 303
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $821.7M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,787 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- Twice the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 48% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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
At $2,787 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area spend about $821.7M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That works out to $4.9M per station, twice the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
There are 169 gas stations on map listings in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 87% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area was 303 in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 973 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $156K have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area grew 6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #63 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 10.4 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $2.8M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 973 | 783 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | −2.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,787 | $2,867 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 303+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,545
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $158.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 169147 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 345The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $156K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 758,539+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 294,814
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 202
- Median household income
- $85,890+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,632
- Median home value
- $267,400
- Jobs located here
- 392,636
- Daytime population
- 765,807Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for gas stations, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 169 gas stations in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 147 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 303 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $821.7M a year, or $2,787 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 169 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $4.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 294,814 households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 5.7 gas stations per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $4.9M, twice the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 345, against 169 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 973 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area at 758,539 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 294,814 households. Median household income in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is $85,890, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.5%, 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 70 for gas stations (upper middle), #63 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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.