Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Gas stations in the Waynesville, NC area
The gas stations in the Waynesville, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #37 of 536 scored small-town markets
#6 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 37
- 31 chain locations (84%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- −6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $85.3M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,145 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.6
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,369
- +1.9% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville area. 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
For gas stations, the Waynesville area has a Groundwork market score of 78 (high): #37 of 536 scored small-town markets and #6 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gas stations.
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 gas stations in the Waynesville area. Chain locations make up 84% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.6, 25% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Households in the Waynesville area spend about $85.3M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $3,145 per household, 21% above the U.S. average. Spread across 37 gas stations, that is $2.3M per station, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Waynesville area in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 969 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Waynesville area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waynesville 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.
| Measure | Waynesville area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.6 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 969 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.7% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,145 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $61,912 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28−6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 297
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3731 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The 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 Waynesville 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 Waynesville area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,369+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 27,123
- Median age
- 47.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 554 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 113
- Median household income
- $61,912
- Average household income
- $80,833
- Median home value
- $279,200
- Jobs located here
- 17,778
- Daytime population
- 52,805Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Waynesville area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 84 | 71 | 14.2 | $2.3M | +12.3% | #15 of 536 |
| 2Sanford, NC | 84 | 36 | 14.3 | $2.3M | +10.8% | #16 of 536 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 82 | 16 | 11.0 | $2.8M | +2.9% | #21 of 536 |
| 4New Bern, NC | 82 | 61 | 11.6 | $2.5M | +3.6% | #23 of 536 |
| 5Boone, NC | 79 | 17 | 8.0 | $3.7M | +0.6% | #30 of 536 |
| 6Waynesville, NC | 78 | 37 | 13.6 | $2.3M | +1.9% | #37 of 536 |
| 7Forest City, NC | 77 | 35 | 13.1 | $2.4M | +2.1% | #42 of 536 |
| 8Mount Airy, NC | 68 | 48 | 16.1 | $2.1M | +1.3% | #90 of 536 |
| 9Morehead City, NC | 68 | 47 | 14.7 | $2M | +4.1% | #91 of 536 |
| 10Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 67 | 54 | 13.9 | $2.3M | +3.4% | #99 of 536 |
Other business types in the Waynesville area
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 the Waynesville, NC area?
The Waynesville area has 37 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 31 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019.
How much do households in the Waynesville, NC area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $85.3M a year, or $3,145 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,123 households in the Waynesville area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waynesville, NC area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Waynesville area has 13.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.3M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Waynesville area would have about 36, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 969 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waynesville, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Waynesville area at 63,369 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,123 households. The median household income in the Waynesville area is $61,912 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Waynesville area scores 78 for gas stations (high), #37 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 Waynesville 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 Waynesville area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waynesville 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 Waynesville 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.