Auto · Metro area · Michigan
Gas stations in the Bay City, MI metro area
How the Bay City, MI metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #297 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 60
- 57 chain locations (95%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- −10.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $116.2M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,576 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.3
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Bay City 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 Bay City 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
The Bay City metro area scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #297 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 gas stations in the Bay City metro area. Chain locations make up 95% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 13.3 for every 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Bay City metro area comes to about $116.2M a year: $2,576 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 60 gas stations, that is $1.9M per station, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Bay City metro area in 2023, down 10.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,327 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Bay City metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Bay City metro 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 | Bay City metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.3 | 13.6 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $1.9M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,327 | 1,152 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.5% | −1.3% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,576 | $2,576 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34−10.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 320
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6057 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 Bay City 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 Bay City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bay City 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 Bay City 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Michigan for gas stations, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Bay City metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 62 | 86 | 8.0 | $3.2M | +0.8% | #111 of 387 |
| 2Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 60 | 492 | 11.2 | $2.5M | +2.8% | #129 of 387 |
| 3Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 53 | 59 | 8.7 | $3M | +1.8% | #173 of 387 |
| 4Midland, MI | 53 | 37 | 10.6 | $2.6M | +0.3% | #176 of 387 |
| 5Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 50 | 203 | 10.5 | $2.4M | +1.4% | #197 of 387 |
| 6Ann Arbor, MI | 47 | 153 | 10.2 | $2.4M | −0.4% | #216 of 387 |
| 7Monroe, MI | 46 | 89 | 14.1 | $2M | +0.7% | #225 of 387 |
| 8Traverse City, MI | 45 | 83 | 12.7 | $2.2M | +2.2% | #232 of 387 |
| 9Bay City, MI | 34 | 60 | 13.3 | $1.9M | −1.6% | #297 of 387 |
| 10Saginaw, MI | 33 | 105 | 13.5 | $1.9M | −1.1% | #308 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bay City 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 Bay City, MI metro area?
The Bay City metro area has 60 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 57 of them (95%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 10.5% from 2019.
How much do households in the Bay City, MI metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $116.2M a year, or $2,576 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,103 households in the Bay City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bay City, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Bay City metro area has 13.3 gas stations per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.9M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Bay City metro area would have about 49, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,327 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bay City, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bay City metro area at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. The median household income in the Bay City metro area is $61,763 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. 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 Bay City metro area scores 34 for gas stations (lower middle), #297 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 Bay City 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 Bay City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bay City 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 Bay City 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.