Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Gas stations in the Spencer, IA area
How the Spencer, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #242 of 536 scored small-town markets
#7 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 8
- 7 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $19.8M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,719 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,202
- −0.8% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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 8 gas stations in the Spencer area. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 88%, against 84% across the U.S. That is 11.0 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Households in the Spencer area spend about $19.8M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,719 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per station, 4% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Spencer area was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 728 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Spencer area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Spencer area scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #242 of 536 scored small-town markets and #7 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Spencer 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 | Spencer area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 10.4 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.8M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 728 | 783 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,719 | $2,867 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $65,428 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 71
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 87 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Spencer 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 Spencer area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,202−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,282
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 567 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,428+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,614
- Median home value
- $178,600
- Jobs located here
- 8,325
- Daytime population
- 16,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Spencer area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Spencer 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 small-town markets in Iowa for gas stations, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Spencer area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Spencer 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 Spencer, IA area?
There are 8 gas stations on map listings in the Spencer area as of September 2026. 7 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Spencer, IA area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $19.8M a year, or $2,719 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,282 households in the Spencer area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Spencer, IA area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Spencer area has 11.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.5M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 728 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
How fast is the Spencer, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Spencer area at 16,202 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,282 households. The median household income in the Spencer area is $65,428 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Spencer area scores 52 for gas stations (upper middle), #242 of 536 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Spencer 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 Spencer area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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.