Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina

Gas stations in the New Bern, NC area

How the New Bern, 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 82 out of 100: High

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

Listings
61
45 chain locations (74%)
Official establishments
42
−24.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$153.5M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,927 a household
Spending per listing
$2.5M
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.6
6% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
127,358
+3.6% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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

The New Bern area scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #23 of 536 scored small-town markets and #4 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gas stations.

At $2,927 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in the New Bern area spend about $153.5M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That works out to $2.5M per station, 6% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 61 gas stations on map listings in the New Bern area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 74% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That is 11.6 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in the New Bern area classed as gasoline stations, down 24.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,249 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates show the New Bern area grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the New Bern 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 New Bern, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureNew Bern areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.612.210.9
Spending per listing$2.5M$2.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,2491,0061,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−24.1%−5.6%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,927$3,002$2,595
Median household income$64,475$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score8266

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
42−24.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
259
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6145 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
64The 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 New Bern 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 New Bern area

Population, 2025 estimate
127,358+3.6% since 2020
Households
52,452
Median age
42.6
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,514 sq. mi.
People per square mile
82
Median household income
$64,475+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,832
Median home value
$220,600
Jobs located here
40,439
Daytime population
116,417Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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 New Bern 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 New Bern area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the New Bern, NC area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 61 gas stations in the New Bern area. 45 of them (74%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 24.1% from 2019.

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

About $153.5M a year, or $2,927 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,452 households in the New Bern area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the New Bern, NC area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The New Bern area has 11.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.5M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the New Bern area would have about 64, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,249 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 24.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the New Bern, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the New Bern area at 127,358 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,452 households. Median household income in the New Bern area is $64,475, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.4%, 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 New Bern area scores 82 for gas stations (high), #23 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 New Bern 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 New Bern area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the New Bern 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 New Bern 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.