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Gas stations in Onslow County, NC

How Onslow County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 79 out of 100: High

Ranked #166 of 2,358 scored counties
#14 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
61
53 chain locations (87%)
Official establishments
64
−3.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$222.9M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,962 a household
Spending per listing
$3.7M
53% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.1
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
217,175
+6.0% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in Onslow 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 Onslow County. 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

For gas stations, Onslow County has a Groundwork market score of 79 (high): #166 of 2,358 scored counties and #14 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for gas stations.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 61 gas stations in Onslow County. 53 of them (87%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.1, 26% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Onslow County comes to about $222.9M a year: $2,962 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. Spread across 61 gas stations, that is $3.7M per station, 53% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Onslow County in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,176 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Onslow County. Population estimates show Onslow County grew 6.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Onslow 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 Onslow County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureOnslow CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.112.210.9
Spending per listing$3.7M$2.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,1761,0061,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.0%−5.6%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.0%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,962$3,002$2,595
Median household income$68,148$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score7966

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
66 → 64−3.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
541
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6153 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
94The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
217,175+6.0% since 2020
Households
75,265
Median age
30.9
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
762 sq. mi.
People per square mile
273
Median household income
$68,148+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,766
Median home value
$236,400
Jobs located here
48,126
Daytime population
192,000Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Onslow 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 Onslow County. 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 counties in North Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Onslow 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
14Onslow County, NC79618.1$3.7M+6.0%#166 of 2,358

Other business types in Onslow County

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in Onslow County, NC?

There are 61 gas stations on map listings in Onslow County as of September 2026. 53 of them (87%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019.

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

About $222.9M a year, or $2,962 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 75,265 households in Onslow County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Onslow County has 8.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.7M, 53% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Onslow County would have about 94, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,176 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Onslow County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Onslow County at 217,175 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 75,265 households. The median household income in Onslow County is $68,148 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.5% 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. Onslow County scores 79 for gas stations (high), #166 of 2,358 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Onslow 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 Onslow 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.