Auto · Small-town market · Nebraska
Gas stations in the Columbus, NE area
How the Columbus, NE area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #106 of 536 scored small-town markets
#1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 23
- 16 chain locations (70%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- +10.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.2M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,119 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.2
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 23 gas stations in the Columbus area. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 70%, against 84% across the U.S. That is 13.2 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Columbus area comes to about $54.2M a year: $3,119 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.4M per station, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Columbus area in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 543 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #106 of 536 scored small-town markets and #1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Columbus area compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Columbus area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.2 | 11.7 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 543 | 821 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.3% | −1.2% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,119 | $2,889 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32+10.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 387
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2316 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,583+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 17,365
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $75,378
- Average household income
- $93,046
- Median home value
- $210,600
- Jobs located here
- 25,969
- Daytime population
- 46,840Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for gas stations, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, NE | 66 | 23 | 13.2 | $2.4M | +3.8% | #106 of 536 |
| 2Beatrice, NE | 63 | 15 | 16.1 | $1.9M | +0.2% | #136 of 536 |
| 3Kearney, NE | 56 | 38 | 16.7 | $1.8M | +1.9% | #210 of 536 |
| 4Fremont, NE | 55 | 27 | 17.8 | $1.7M | +2.6% | #218 of 536 |
| 5Norfolk, NE | 52 | 29 | 14.8 | $2M | +1.1% | #246 of 536 |
| 6Scottsbluff, NE | 51 | 22 | 14.3 | $2M | −1.2% | #262 of 536 |
| 7Hastings, NE | 42 | 37 | 21.7 | $1.4M | −0.2% | #359 of 536 |
| 8Lexington, NE | 39 | 25 | 25.0 | $1.3M | +1.1% | #391 of 536 |
| 9North Platte, NE | 32 | 30 | 19.8 | $1.5M | −3.6% | #442 of 536 |
Other business types in the Columbus 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 Columbus, NE area?
There are 23 gas stations on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. 16 of them (70%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 10.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $54.2M a year, or $3,119 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,365 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, NE area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Columbus area has 13.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 543 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 46,583 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,365 households. The median household income in the Columbus area is $75,378 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Columbus area scores 66 for gas stations (upper middle), #106 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.