Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Mississippi

Gas stations in the Laurel, MS area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Laurel, MS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #443 of 536 scored small-town markets
#8 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi

Listings
60
41 chain locations (68%)
Official establishments
52
−16.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$89.5M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,831 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
37% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
19.0
74% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
82,281
−1.5% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Laurel 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 Laurel area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for gas stations in the Laurel area is 32 (lower middle), #443 of 536 scored small-town markets and #8 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Laurel area comes to about $89.5M a year: $2,831 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per station, 37% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

The Laurel area has 60 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (68%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That is 19.0 per 10,000 households, 74% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Laurel area in 2023, down 16.1% from 2019. That is one for every 608 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $720K have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Laurel area. Population estimates put the population change in the Laurel area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Laurel area compares

The same measures for Mississippi 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.

Gas stations in Laurel, MS area compared with Mississippi and the U.S.
MeasureLaurel areaMississippiU.S.
Listings per 10k households19.019.110.9
Spending per listing$1.5M$1.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment6086041,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−16.1%−5.1%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,831$2,920$2,595
Median household income$51,236$56,447$80,734
Groundwork market score3218

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
52−16.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
526
Annual payroll, 2023
$11.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6041 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$720K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Laurel 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 Laurel area

Population, 2025 estimate
82,281−1.5% since 2020
Households
31,604
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,371 sq. mi.
People per square mile
60
Median household income
$51,236+26.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$73,808
Median home value
$132,900
Jobs located here
32,859
Daytime population
82,735Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Laurel 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 Laurel area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Mississippi

Every Mississippi market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for gas stations, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Laurel area marked.

Top small-town markets in Mississippi

Small-town markets in Mississippi ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Picayune, MS673214.6$2.1M+5.6%#101 of 536
2Starkville, MS494417.0$1.7M+0.8%#284 of 536
3Oxford, MS446025.0$1.2M+5.3%#336 of 536
4Tupelo, MS4111021.2$1.4M+0.8%#370 of 536
5Cleveland, MS371210.1$2.5M−8.3%#402 of 536
6Brookhaven, MS352821.3$1.4M+0.5%#422 of 536
7Greenville, MS321810.5$2.3M−9.4%#438 of 536
8Laurel, MS326019.0$1.5M−1.5%#443 of 536
9Columbus, MS286022.3$1.3M−2.7%#473 of 536
10Corinth, MS263624.9$1.1M−0.5%#482 of 536

Other business types in the Laurel area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Laurel, MS area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 60 gas stations in the Laurel area. 41 of them (68%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 16.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Laurel, MS area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $89.5M a year, or $2,831 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,604 households in the Laurel area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Laurel, MS area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Laurel area has 19.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 74% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.5M, 37% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Laurel area would have about 38, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 608 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Laurel, MS area growing?

Population estimates put the Laurel area at 82,281 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 31,604 households. Median household income in the Laurel area is $51,236, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.2%, 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 Laurel area scores 32 for gas stations (lower middle), #443 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 Laurel 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 Laurel area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Laurel 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 Laurel 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.