Auto · County · North Carolina
Gas stations in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #707 of 2,358 scored counties
#54 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 118
- 95 chain locations (81%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- −5.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $291M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,857 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Buncombe County
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 Buncombe County. 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 118 gas stations in Buncombe County. Of those, 95 are chain locations, or 81%, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 11.6 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Buncombe County comes to about $291M a year: $2,857 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per station, 3% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Buncombe County was 110 in 2023, down 5.2% from 2019. That is one for every 926 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Buncombe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Buncombe County scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #707 of 2,358 scored counties and #54 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 926 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.2% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,857 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 116 → 110−5.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 846
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11895 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 122The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Buncombe County, 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Buncombe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGas stations across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pender County, NC | 91 | 24 | 9.5 | $3.5M | +19.0% | #22 of 2,358 |
| 2Clay County, NC | 89 | 5 | 9.8 | $3.3M | +9.9% | #39 of 2,358 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 86 | 28 | 9.8 | $3.4M | +18.8% | #64 of 2,358 |
| 4Madison County, NC | 86 | 9 | 10.8 | $3M | +5.9% | #65 of 2,358 |
| 5Brunswick County, NC | 85 | 67 | 9.7 | $3.2M | +26.5% | #75 of 2,358 |
| 6Union County, NC | 85 | 114 | 13.5 | $2.6M | +11.7% | #79 of 2,358 |
| 7Wake County, NC | 83 | 381 | 8.3 | $3.5M | +11.2% | #94 of 2,358 |
| 8Alleghany County, NC | 81 | 5 | 9.7 | $3.3M | +5.4% | #133 of 2,358 |
| 9Cabarrus County, NC | 81 | 95 | 11.3 | $2.8M | +9.9% | #138 of 2,358 |
| 10Pamlico County, NC | 81 | 6 | 11.0 | $2.8M | +3.7% | #139 of 2,358 |
| 54Buncombe County, NC | 61 | 118 | 11.6 | $2.5M | +2.9% | #707 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Buncombe County
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 Buncombe County, NC?
There are 118 gas stations on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 95 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 5.2% from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $291M a year, or $2,857 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Buncombe County has 11.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.5M, 3% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 122, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 926 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 61 for gas stations (upper middle), #707 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe County. 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe County?
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 Buncombe County. 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.