Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Gas stations in the Kinston, NC area
How the Kinston, NC 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #380 of 536 scored small-town markets
#19 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 50
- 43 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- −21.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $65.1M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,788 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.4
- 96% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 55,837
- +1.4% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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 50 gas stations in the Kinston area. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 86%, against 84% across the U.S. That is 21.4 per 10,000 households, 96% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $2,788 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in the Kinston area spend about $65.1M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each station on map listings, 45% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Kinston area in 2023, down 21.0% from 2019. That is one for every 778 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Kinston area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Kinston area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #380 of 536 scored small-town markets and #19 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Kinston area 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 | Kinston area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.4 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 778 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −21.0% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,788 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $45,143 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30−21.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 158
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5043 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The 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 Kinston 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 Kinston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 55,837+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 23,351
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 399 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $45,143+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $65,291
- Median home value
- $120,500
- Jobs located here
- 29,615
- Daytime population
- 59,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Kinston area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 84 | 71 | 14.2 | $2.3M | +12.3% | #15 of 536 |
| 2Sanford, NC | 84 | 36 | 14.3 | $2.3M | +10.8% | #16 of 536 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 82 | 16 | 11.0 | $2.8M | +2.9% | #21 of 536 |
| 4New Bern, NC | 82 | 61 | 11.6 | $2.5M | +3.6% | #23 of 536 |
| 5Boone, NC | 79 | 17 | 8.0 | $3.7M | +0.6% | #30 of 536 |
| 6Waynesville, NC | 78 | 37 | 13.6 | $2.3M | +1.9% | #37 of 536 |
| 7Forest City, NC | 77 | 35 | 13.1 | $2.4M | +2.1% | #42 of 536 |
| 8Mount Airy, NC | 68 | 48 | 16.1 | $2.1M | +1.3% | #90 of 536 |
| 9Morehead City, NC | 68 | 47 | 14.7 | $2M | +4.1% | #91 of 536 |
| 10Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 67 | 54 | 13.9 | $2.3M | +3.4% | #99 of 536 |
| 19Kinston, NC | 40 | 50 | 21.4 | $1.3M | +1.4% | #380 of 536 |
Other business types in the Kinston 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 Kinston, NC area?
There are 50 gas stations on map listings in the Kinston area as of September 2026. 43 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 21.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Kinston, NC area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $65.1M a year, or $2,788 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,351 households in the Kinston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kinston, NC area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Kinston area has 21.4 gas stations per 10,000 households, 96% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.3M, 45% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Kinston area would have about 27, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 778 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 21.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Kinston, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Kinston area at 55,837 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,351 households. The median household income in the Kinston area is $45,143 a year, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.6% 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. 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 Kinston area scores 40 for gas stations (lower middle), #380 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 Kinston 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 Kinston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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.