Auto · Small-town market · Minnesota
Gas stations in the Willmar, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Willmar, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #60 of 536 scored small-town markets
#5 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 19
- 16 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −8.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $51.7M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,936 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,720
- +2.3% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 gas stations in the Willmar area. Chain locations make up 84% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.8, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Willmar area comes to about $51.7M a year: $2,936 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.7M of household spending for each station on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Willmar area was 21 in 2023, down 8.7% from 2019. That is one for every 838 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Willmar area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Willmar area grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gas stations in the Willmar area is 73 (upper middle), #60 of 536 scored small-town markets and #5 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Willmar area compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Willmar area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.8 | 8.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $3.3M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 838 | 1,132 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.7% | −3.7% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,936 | $2,736 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $76,592 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21−8.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 346
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1916 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Willmar 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 Willmar area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,720+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 17,603
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 797 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $76,592+27.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,382
- Median home value
- $243,200
- Jobs located here
- 24,957
- Daytime population
- 46,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for gas stations, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with the Willmar area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Faribault-Northfield, MN | 84 | 19 | 8.1 | $3.6M | +4.2% | #12 of 536 |
| 2Owatonna, MN | 76 | 7 | 4.6 | $6.4M | +0.2% | #45 of 536 |
| 3Winona, MN | 74 | 13 | 6.4 | $4.3M | +1.8% | #55 of 536 |
| 4Detroit Lakes, MN | 74 | 18 | 12.5 | $2.5M | +0.9% | #57 of 536 |
| 5Willmar, MN | 73 | 19 | 10.8 | $2.7M | +2.3% | #60 of 536 |
| 6Marshall, MN | 70 | 12 | 11.9 | $2.3M | +1.0% | #76 of 536 |
| 7Red Wing, MN | 69 | 25 | 12.7 | $2.3M | +1.3% | #83 of 536 |
| 8Brainerd, MN | 69 | 57 | 13.5 | $2.2M | +4.3% | #84 of 536 |
| 9Hutchinson, MN | 63 | 21 | 13.8 | $2.2M | −0.3% | #132 of 536 |
| 10Bemidji, MN | 62 | 24 | 13.2 | $2.2M | +1.8% | #143 of 536 |
Other business types in the Willmar 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 Willmar, MN area?
The Willmar area has 19 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 8.7% from 2019.
How much do households in the Willmar, MN area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $51.7M a year, or $2,936 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.7M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,603 households in the Willmar area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Willmar, MN area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Willmar area has 10.8 gas stations per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.7M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Willmar area would have about 22, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 838 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Willmar, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Willmar area at 44,720 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,603 households. The median household income in the Willmar area is $76,592 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.0% 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 Willmar area scores 73 for gas stations (upper middle), #60 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 Willmar 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 Willmar area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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.