Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina

Gas stations in the Mount Airy, NC area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Mount Airy, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #90 of 536 scored small-town markets
#8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
48
38 chain locations (79%)
Official establishments
39
−2.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$100.3M
On gasoline and other fuels · $3,356 a household
Spending per listing
$2.1M
12% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.1
48% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
72,287
+1.3% since 2020

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

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Survey 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 48 gas stations in the Mount Airy area. 38 of them (79%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 16.1 for every 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

At $3,356 per household (29% above the U.S. average), households in the Mount Airy area spend about $100.3M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each station on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in the Mount Airy area classed as gasoline stations, down 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 766 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Mount Airy area grew 1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Mount Airy area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #90 of 536 scored small-town markets and #8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.

How the Mount Airy 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.

Gas stations in Mount Airy, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMount Airy areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.112.210.9
Spending per listing$2.1M$2.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment7661,0061,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.5%−5.6%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.3%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$3,356$3,002$2,595
Median household income$55,656$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6866

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
39−2.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
358
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4838 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
42The 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 Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy area

Population, 2025 estimate
72,287+1.3% since 2020
Households
29,869
Median age
44.0
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
533 sq. mi.
People per square mile
134
Median household income
$55,656+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$76,579
Median home value
$177,600
Jobs located here
28,742
Daytime population
70,148Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas 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 Mount Airy area marked.

Top small-town markets in North Carolina

Small-town markets in North Carolina ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anderson Creek, NC847114.2$2.3M+12.3%#15 of 536
2Sanford, NC843614.3$2.3M+10.8%#16 of 536
3Brevard, NC821611.0$2.8M+2.9%#21 of 536
4New Bern, NC826111.6$2.5M+3.6%#23 of 536
5Boone, NC79178.0$3.7M+0.6%#30 of 536
6Waynesville, NC783713.6$2.3M+1.9%#37 of 536
7Forest City, NC773513.1$2.4M+2.1%#42 of 536
8Mount Airy, NC684816.1$2.1M+1.3%#90 of 536
9Morehead City, NC684714.7$2M+4.1%#91 of 536
10Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC675413.9$2.3M+3.4%#99 of 536

Other business types in the Mount Airy area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Mount Airy, NC area?

There are 48 gas stations on map listings in the Mount Airy area as of September 2026. 38 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 2.5% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Mount Airy, NC area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $100.3M a year, or $3,356 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,869 households in the Mount Airy area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Mount Airy, NC area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Mount Airy area has 16.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.1M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Mount Airy area would have about 42, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 766 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Mount Airy, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Mount Airy area at 72,287 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,869 households. The median household income in the Mount Airy area is $55,656 a year, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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 Mount Airy area scores 68 for gas stations (upper middle), #90 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 Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mount Airy 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 Mount Airy 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.