Auto · Small-town market · Michigan
Gas stations in the Alma, MI area
The gas stations in the Alma, MI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #400 of 536 scored small-town markets
#15 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 34
- 30 chain locations (88%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $41.4M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,804 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 49% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.0
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,190
- −1.1% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Alma 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 Alma 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 34 gas stations in the Alma area. 30 of them (88%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That is 23.0 per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Households in the Alma area spend about $41.4M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,804 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. Spread across 34 gas stations, that is $1.2M per station, 49% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in the Alma area classed as gasoline stations. That is one for every 923 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Alma area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Alma area scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #400 of 536 scored small-town markets and #15 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Alma area compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Alma area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.0 | 13.6 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.9M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 923 | 1,152 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,804 | $2,576 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $63,556 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16
- Employees, 2023
- 134
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3430 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The 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 Alma 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 Alma area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,190−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 14,775
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 73
- Median household income
- $63,556+32.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,011
- Median home value
- $147,500
- Jobs located here
- 12,772
- Daytime population
- 39,987Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Alma 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 Alma 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for gas stations, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Alma area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 80 | 57 | 12.5 | $2.4M | +2.1% | #29 of 536 |
| 2Marquette, MI | 70 | 26 | 9.2 | $2.9M | +2.3% | #72 of 536 |
| 3Coldwater, MI | 64 | 22 | 13.0 | $2M | +2.5% | #120 of 536 |
| 4Owosso, MI | 60 | 44 | 15.6 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #168 of 536 |
| 5Ludington, MI | 57 | 14 | 10.9 | $2.4M | 0.0% | #192 of 536 |
| 6Big Rapids, MI | 57 | 26 | 15.6 | $1.8M | +4.7% | #198 of 536 |
| 7Cadillac, MI | 52 | 30 | 15.3 | $1.8M | +2.0% | #253 of 536 |
| 8Sturgis, MI | 51 | 39 | 16.5 | $1.7M | +0.1% | #265 of 536 |
| 9Mount Pleasant, MI | 50 | 37 | 14.9 | $1.7M | +0.3% | #276 of 536 |
| 10Hillsdale, MI | 49 | 35 | 19.6 | $1.4M | 0.0% | #290 of 536 |
| 15Alma, MI | 38 | 34 | 23.0 | $1.2M | −1.1% | #400 of 536 |
Other business types in the Alma 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 Alma, MI area?
There are 34 gas stations on map listings in the Alma area as of September 2026. 30 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.
How much do households in the Alma, MI area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $41.4M a year, or $2,804 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,775 households in the Alma area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Alma, MI area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Alma area has 23.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.2M, 49% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Alma area would have about 17, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 923 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
How fast is the Alma, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Alma area at 41,190 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,775 households. The median household income in the Alma area is $63,556 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.8% 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 Alma area scores 38 for gas stations (lower middle), #400 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 Alma 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 Alma area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Alma 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 Alma 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.