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Gas stations in Orange County, NC

How Orange 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 76 out of 100: High

Ranked #238 of 2,358 scored counties
#18 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
57
55 chain locations (96%)
Official establishments
40
−7.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$164.1M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,862 a household
Spending per listing
$2.9M
21% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.9
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
152,498
+6.1% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 57 gas stations in Orange County. 55 of them (96%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 9.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Orange County comes to about $164.1M a year: $2,862 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each station on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in Orange County classed as gasoline stations, down 7.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,434 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $591K has gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Orange County.

Population estimates put the population change in Orange County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, Orange County has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #238 of 2,358 scored counties and #18 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Orange 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 Orange County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureOrange CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.912.210.9
Spending per listing$2.9M$2.5M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,4341,0061,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−7.0%−5.6%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.1%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,862$3,002$2,595
Median household income$90,089$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score7666

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
43 → 40−7.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
319
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5755 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
69The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$591K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
152,498+6.1% since 2020
Households
57,342
Median age
39.0
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
398 sq. mi.
People per square mile
376
Median household income
$90,089+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$136,307
Median home value
$459,500
Jobs located here
75,014
Daytime population
159,446Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Orange 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
18Orange County, NC76579.9$2.9M+6.1%#238 of 2,358

Other business types in Orange County

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in Orange County, NC?

Orange County has 57 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 55 of them (96%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 7.0% from 2019.

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

About $164.1M a year, or $2,862 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 57,342 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Orange County has 9.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.9M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Orange County would have about 69, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,434 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Orange County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Orange County at 152,498 people in 2025, up 6.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 57,342 households. The median household income in Orange County is $90,089 a year, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. 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. Orange County scores 76 for gas stations (high), #238 of 2,358 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.