Auto · County · North Carolina
Gas stations in McDowell County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in McDowell County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,041 of 2,358 scored counties
#70 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 32
- 22 chain locations (69%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $58.4M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,135 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 58% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 32 gas stations in McDowell County. Chain locations make up 69% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 17.2 for every 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $3,135 per household (21% above the U.S. average), households in McDowell County spend about $58.4M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That works out to $1.8M per station, 23% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in McDowell County classed as gasoline stations, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 810 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Population estimates show McDowell County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, McDowell County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,041 of 2,358 scored counties and #70 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 810 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,135 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 23+4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 208
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3222 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 70McDowell County, NC | 53 | 32 | 17.2 | $1.8M | +1.5% | #1,041 of 2,358 |
Other business types in McDowell 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 McDowell County, NC?
There are 32 gas stations on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. 22 of them (69%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $58.4M a year, or $3,135 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
McDowell County has 17.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.8M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, McDowell County would have about 25, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 810 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 53 for gas stations (upper middle), #1,041 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.