Auto · County · North Carolina
Gas stations in Watauga County, NC
The gas stations in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #423 of 2,358 scored counties
#32 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 17
- 14 chain locations (82%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $63.4M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,990 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 56% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Households in Watauga County spend about $63.4M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $2,990 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.7M per station, 56% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Watauga County has 17 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 82%, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.0, 27% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Watauga County was 21 in 2023. That is one for every 1,009 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gas stations in Watauga County is 69 (upper middle), #423 of 2,358 scored counties and #32 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,009 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,990 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 21
- Employees, 2023
- 253
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1714 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 32Watauga County, NC | 69 | 17 | 8.0 | $3.7M | +0.6% | #423 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 Watauga County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 17 gas stations in Watauga County. 14 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $63.4M a year, or $2,990 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Watauga County has 8.0 gas stations per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.7M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, Watauga County would have about 27, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,009 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 69 for gas stations (upper middle), #423 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.