Auto · County · Iowa
Gas stations in Story County, IA
How Story County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #362 of 2,358 scored counties
#7 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 30
- 24 chain locations (80%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- −9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $105.5M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,712 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 47% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Story 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 Story 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
At $2,712 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Story County spend about $105.5M a year on gasoline and other fuels. Spread across 30 gas stations, that is $3.5M per station, 47% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
There are 30 gas stations on map listings in Story County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 80% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Story County in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,342 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Story County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gas stations in Story County is 71 (upper middle), #362 of 2,358 scored counties and #7 of 64 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Story County 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 10.4 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $2.8M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,342 | 783 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.4% | −2.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,712 | $2,867 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 29−9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 481
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3024 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The 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 Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for gas stations, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Story County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in Story 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 Story County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 gas stations in Story County. 24 of them (80%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $105.5M a year, or $2,712 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Story County has 7.7 gas stations per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.5M, 47% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, Story County would have about 44, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,342 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 71 for gas stations (upper middle), #362 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.