Groundwork

Auto · County · South Dakota

Gas stations in Clay County, SD

How Clay County, SD compares with other counties and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,912 of 2,358 scored counties
#14 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
9
8 chain locations (89%)
Official establishments
10
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$15.3M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,751 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
29% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.2
49% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,031
+0.2% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,912 of 2,358 scored counties and #14 of 17 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 9 gas stations in Clay County. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 89%, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 16.2 for every 10,000 households, 49% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

At $2,751 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $15.3M a year on gasoline and other fuels. Spread across 9 gas stations, that is $1.7M per station, 29% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in Clay County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 555 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates show Clay County grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Clay County compares

The same measures for South Dakota 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 Clay County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.219.410.9
Spending per listing$1.7M$1.6M$2.4M
Households per official establishment5556301,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−4.8%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.2%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,751$3,013$2,595
Median household income$56,850$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score3137

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
12 → 10
Employees, 2023
101
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
98 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
6The 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 Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
15,031+0.2% since 2020
Households
5,547
Median age
31.1
Homes lived in by their owners
51%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
412 sq. mi.
People per square mile
37
Median household income
$56,850+12.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,631
Median home value
$232,300
Jobs located here
5,728
Daytime population
14,972Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Gas stations across South Dakota

Every South Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for gas stations, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Clay County marked.

Top counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, SD88186.5$4.8M+17.5%#47 of 2,358
2Meade County, SD681512.5$2.7M+2.7%#460 of 2,358
3Brookings County, SD632014.5$2.1M+9.6%#629 of 2,358
4Lawrence County, SD612016.6$1.8M+14.0%#722 of 2,358
5Minnehaha County, SD5512014.1$1.9M+7.6%#958 of 2,358
6Lake County, SD53919.1$1.7M−0.2%#1,043 of 2,358
7Codington County, SD521814.4$2.1M+4.3%#1,074 of 2,358
8Pennington County, SD507816.8$1.7M+6.6%#1,171 of 2,358
9Union County, SD441926.0$1.3M+3.3%#1,448 of 2,358
10Butte County, SD381534.8$971K+5.5%#1,691 of 2,358
14Clay County, SD31916.2$1.7M+0.2%#1,912 of 2,358

Other business types in Clay County

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in Clay County, SD?

Clay County has 9 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.

How much do households in Clay County, SD spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $15.3M a year, or $2,751 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,547 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, SD compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

Clay County has 16.2 gas stations per 10,000 households, 49% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.7M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, Clay County would have about 6, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 555 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 15,031 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,547 households. The median household income in Clay County is $56,850 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 12.1% 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. Clay County scores 31 for gas stations (lower middle), #1,912 of 2,358 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.