Auto · County · North Carolina
Gas stations in Wilkes County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in Wilkes County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,404 of 2,358 scored counties
#83 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 49
- 36 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $87M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,208 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.1
- 66% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 49 gas stations in Wilkes County. 36 of them (73%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That is 18.1 per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in Wilkes County comes to about $87M a year: $3,208 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. Spread across 49 gas stations, that is $1.8M per station, 26% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Wilkes County in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 616 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Wilkes County.
Population estimates show Wilkes County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gas stations in Wilkes County is 45 (lower middle), #1,404 of 2,358 scored counties and #83 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wilkes 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 | Wilkes County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.1 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 616 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,208 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 44+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4936 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 |
| 83Wilkes County, NC | 45 | 49 | 18.1 | $1.8M | +0.6% | #1,404 of 2,358 |
Other business types in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County, NC?
Wilkes County has 49 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 36 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wilkes County, NC spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $87M a year, or $3,208 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,107 households in Wilkes County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wilkes County, NC compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
Wilkes County has 18.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.8M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Wilkes County would have about 37, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 616 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Wilkes County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wilkes County at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. The median household income in Wilkes County is $51,721 a year, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.3% 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. Wilkes County scores 45 for gas stations (lower middle), #1,404 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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.