Auto · Metro area · North Carolina
Gas stations in the Wilmington, NC metro area
The gas stations in the Wilmington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #21 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 184
- 167 chain locations (91%)
- Official establishments
- 155
- +2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $585.8M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,940 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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
The Groundwork market score for gas stations in the Wilmington metro area is 79 (high), #21 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for gas stations.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Wilmington metro area comes to about $585.8M a year: $2,940 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.2M of household spending for each station on map listings, 34% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
There are 184 gas stations on map listings in the Wilmington metro area as of September 2026. 167 of them (91%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 9.2 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Wilmington metro area was 155 in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,286 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $676K has gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Wilmington metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Wilmington metro 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.2 | 12.2 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $2.5M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,286 | 1,006 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.7% | −5.6% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,940 | $3,002 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 155+2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,238
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 184167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 246The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $676K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Wilmington metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wilmington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Raleigh-Cary, NC | 83 | 527 | 9.2 | $3.3M | +12.6% | #10 of 387 |
| 2Wilmington, NC | 79 | 184 | 9.2 | $3.2M | +15.9% | #21 of 387 |
| 3Jacksonville, NC | 76 | 61 | 8.1 | $3.7M | +6.0% | #29 of 387 |
| 4Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 74 | 1,140 | 10.6 | $2.8M | +10.1% | #44 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 71 | 550 | 7.8 | $3.7M | +0.9% | #58 of 387 |
| 5Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 67 | 250 | 10.1 | $2.8M | +7.5% | #86 of 387 |
| 6Winston-Salem, NC | 62 | 351 | 12.5 | $2.5M | +5.3% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 62 | 61 | 13.9 | $2.2M | +10.3% | #117 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 58 | 100 | 14.3 | $2.1M | +8.5% | #142 of 387 |
| 9Greenville, NC | 56 | 82 | 11.0 | $2.4M | +5.4% | #159 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 184 gas stations in the Wilmington metro area. 167 of them (91%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 155 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 2.7% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $585.8M a year, or $2,940 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 184 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.2M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Wilmington metro area has 9.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.2M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 246, against 184 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,286 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% 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. 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 Wilmington metro area scores 79 for gas stations (high), #21 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington metro 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 Wilmington metro 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.