Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · South Carolina

Gas stations in the Columbia, SC metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Columbia, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #226 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina

Listings
517
467 chain locations (90%)
Official establishments
401
+0.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$986.9M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,906 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
20% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.2
39% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
879,918
+6.0% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Columbia metro area comes to about $986.9M a year: $2,906 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per station, 20% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 517 gas stations on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 90% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 15.2 for every 10,000 households, 39% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Official counts show 401 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Columbia metro area in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 847 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $12.8M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Columbia metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Columbia metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, the Columbia metro area has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #226 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.

How the Columbia metro area compares

The same measures for South 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.

Gas stations in Columbia, SC metro area compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureColumbia metro areaSouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.213.810.9
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.1M$2.4M
Households per official establishment8478491,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+0.5%−5.2%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.0%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,906$2,917$2,595
Median household income$68,359$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score4656

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
401+0.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,363
Annual payroll, 2023
$89.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
21Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
517467 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
414The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
13
Amount
$12.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
879,918+6.0% since 2020
Households
339,601
Median age
39.2
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
3,703 sq. mi.
People per square mile
229
Median household income
$68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,243
Median home value
$232,400
Jobs located here
410,492
Daytime population
894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Gas stations across South Carolina

Every South Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for gas stations, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.

Top metro areas in South Carolina

Metro areas in South Carolina ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Charleston-North Charleston, SC7434010.1$2.8M+10.7%#43 of 387
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC741,14010.6$2.8M+10.1%#44 of 387
2Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC683729.7$3.1M+9.0%#77 of 387
3Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC67909.4$3M+12.0%#84 of 387
4Spartanburg, SC5818112.6$2.4M+14.3%#141 of 387
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC5029212.6$2.3M+4.7%#198 of 387
5Columbia, SC4651715.2$1.9M+6.0%#226 of 387
6Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC4523614.9$1.8M+20.9%#234 of 387
7Sumter, SC237117.3$1.6M−0.3%#353 of 387
8Florence, SC1818523.6$1.2M+0.9%#371 of 387

Other business types in the Columbia metro area

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Columbia, SC metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 517 gas stations in the Columbia metro area. 467 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 401 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $986.9M a year, or $2,906 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 517 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Columbia metro area has 15.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 39% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.9M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 414, against 517 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 847 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 46 for gas stations (lower middle), #226 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia metro area?

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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.