Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · Pennsylvania

Gas stations in the State College, PA metro area

The gas stations in the State College, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #171 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania

Listings
35
27 chain locations (77%)
Official establishments
40
−4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$112.4M
On gasoline and other fuels · $1,905 a household
Spending per listing
$3.2M
35% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.9
46% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
157,393
−0.4% since 2020

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

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

What this means

Households in the State College metro area spend about $112.4M a year on gasoline and other fuels, or $1,905 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.2M per station, 35% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

The State College metro area has 35 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 27 of them (77%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the State College metro area in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,475 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates put the population change in the State College metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gas stations, the State College metro area has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #171 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.

How the State College metro area compares

The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 State College, PA metro area compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureState College metro areaPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.97.310.9
Spending per listing$3.2M$2.7M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,4751,4481,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.8%−8.0%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$1,905$1,930$2,595
Median household income$74,291$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score5346

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
40−4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
604
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3527 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
47The 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 State College 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 State College metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
157,393−0.4% since 2020
Households
59,013
Median age
38.2
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
1,107 sq. mi.
People per square mile
143
Median household income
$74,291+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,987
Median home value
$323,500
Jobs located here
66,922
Daytime population
170,905Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the State College 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 State College metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for gas stations, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the State College metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Pennsylvania

Metro areas in Pennsylvania ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Gettysburg, PA73204.9$5M+3.6%#45 of 387
2York-Hanover, PA71563.1$7.3M+3.6%#53 of 387
3Reading, PA65815.0$4.3M+2.7%#95 of 387
4Chambersburg, PA65375.8$4M+3.0%#96 of 387
5Lancaster, PA64934.4$4.8M+1.9%#103 of 387
6Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD611,5046.1$3.2M+1.4%#119 of 387
7Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA571757.1$2.9M+4.2%#147 of 387
8State College, PA53355.9$3.2M−0.4%#171 of 387
9Lebanon, PA50437.6$2.8M+2.2%#195 of 387
10Johnstown, PA48295.2$3.7M−3.2%#206 of 387

Other business types in the State College metro area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the State College, PA metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 35 gas stations in the State College metro area. 27 of them (77%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the State College, PA metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $112.4M a year, or $1,905 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.2M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 59,013 households in the State College metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the State College, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The State College metro area has 5.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.2M, 35% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the State College metro area would have about 47, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,475 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the State College, PA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the State College metro area at 157,393 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 59,013 households. Median household income in the State College metro area is $74,291, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.0%, 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. The State College metro area scores 53 for gas stations (upper middle), #171 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 State College 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 State College metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the State College 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 State College 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.