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Gas stations in Durham County, NC

The gas stations in Durham County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #323 of 2,358 scored counties
#24 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
122
113 chain locations (93%)
Official establishments
95
−5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$365.3M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,575 a household
Spending per listing
$3M
26% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.6
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
347,240
+7.7% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 122 gas stations in Durham County. 113 of them (93%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That is 8.6 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Durham County comes to about $365.3M a year: $2,575 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 122 gas stations, that is $3M per station, 26% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Durham County was 95 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,493 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Durham County.

Population estimates show Durham County grew 7.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, Durham County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #323 of 2,358 scored counties and #24 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Durham 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.

Gas stations in Durham County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureDurham CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.612.210.9
Spending per listing$3M$2.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,4931,0061,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.0%−5.6%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.7%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,575$3,002$2,595
Median household income$82,316$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score7366

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
100 → 95−5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
572
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
122113 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
153The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$2.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Durham 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 Durham County

Population, 2025 estimate
347,240+7.7% since 2020
Households
141,847
Median age
38.1
Homes lived in by their owners
56%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
288 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,156
Median household income
$82,316+35.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$114,501
Median home value
$389,400
Jobs located here
257,395
Daytime population
437,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Gas 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 Durham County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Pender County, NC91249.5$3.5M+19.0%#22 of 2,358
2Clay County, NC8959.8$3.3M+9.9%#39 of 2,358
3Franklin County, NC86289.8$3.4M+18.8%#64 of 2,358
4Madison County, NC86910.8$3M+5.9%#65 of 2,358
5Brunswick County, NC85679.7$3.2M+26.5%#75 of 2,358
6Union County, NC8511413.5$2.6M+11.7%#79 of 2,358
7Wake County, NC833818.3$3.5M+11.2%#94 of 2,358
8Alleghany County, NC8159.7$3.3M+5.4%#133 of 2,358
9Cabarrus County, NC819511.3$2.8M+9.9%#138 of 2,358
10Pamlico County, NC81611.0$2.8M+3.7%#139 of 2,358
24Durham County, NC731228.6$3M+7.7%#323 of 2,358

Other business types in Durham County

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in Durham County, NC?

Durham County has 122 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 113 of them (93%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Durham County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $365.3M a year, or $2,575 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 122 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 141,847 households in Durham County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Durham County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

Durham County has 8.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Durham County would have about 153, against 122 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,493 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Durham County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Durham County at 347,240 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 141,847 households. The median household income in Durham County is $82,316 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.0% 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. 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. Durham County scores 73 for gas stations (upper middle), #323 of 2,358 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Durham 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 Durham County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Durham 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 Durham 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.