Auto · County · North Carolina
Gas stations in Cleveland County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in Cleveland County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #835 of 2,358 scored counties
#63 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 54
- 42 chain locations (78%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $124.9M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,214 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 103,325
- +3.4% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 54 gas stations in Cleveland County. Of those, 42 are chain locations, or 78%, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 13.9 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Cleveland County comes to about $124.9M a year: $3,214 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. Spread across 54 gas stations, that is $2.3M per station, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Cleveland County was 65 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 598 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Cleveland County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cleveland County grew 3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gas stations in Cleveland County is 58 (upper middle), #835 of 2,358 scored counties and #63 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Cleveland 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 | Cleveland County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 598 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,214 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $58,534 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65 → 650.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 299
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5442 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 103,325+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 38,850
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 464 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 218
- Median household income
- $58,534+38.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,018
- Median home value
- $200,000
- Jobs located here
- 34,727
- Daytime population
- 92,263Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 |
| 63Cleveland County, NC | 58 | 54 | 13.9 | $2.3M | +3.4% | #835 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County, NC?
Cleveland County has 54 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 42 of them (78%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Cleveland County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $124.9M a year, or $3,214 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 54 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,850 households in Cleveland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cleveland County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Cleveland County has 13.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.3M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Cleveland County would have about 52, against 54 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 598 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cleveland County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Cleveland County at 103,325 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,850 households. The median household income in Cleveland County is $58,534 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.6% 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. Cleveland County scores 58 for gas stations (upper middle), #835 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.