Auto · Metro area · South Dakota
Gas stations in the Rapid City, SD metro area
How the Rapid City, SD metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #227 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 2 scored metro areas based in South Dakota
- Listings
- 101
- 82 chain locations (81%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- −1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $191.2M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $3,044 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.1
- 48% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 156,934
- +6.2% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Rapid City 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 Rapid City 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 101 gas stations in the Rapid City metro area. Chain locations make up 81% of them, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.1, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
At $3,044 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in the Rapid City metro area spend about $191.2M a year on gasoline and other fuels. That works out to $1.9M per station, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Rapid City metro area was 88 in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 714 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $895K has gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Rapid City metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Rapid City metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gas stations, the Rapid City metro area has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #227 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 2 scored metro areas based in South Dakota.
How the Rapid City metro area 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.
| Measure | Rapid City metro area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.1 | 19.4 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $1.6M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 714 | 630 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.1% | −4.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.2% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $3,044 | $3,013 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $75,255 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 88−1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 965
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10182 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 80The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $895K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Rapid City 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 Rapid City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 156,934+6.2% since 2020
- Households
- 62,789
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 7,805 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $75,255
- Average household income
- $99,099
- Median home value
- $307,700
- Jobs located here
- 69,449
- Daytime population
- 153,009Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rapid City 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 Rapid City 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 South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Dakota for gas stations, numbered among those based in South Dakota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Rapid City metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 52 | 159 | 13.0 | $2.2M | +9.5% | #184 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 46 | 66 | 11.9 | $2.5M | +1.0% | #224 of 387 |
| 2Rapid City, SD | 46 | 101 | 16.1 | $1.9M | +6.2% | #227 of 387 |
Other business types in the Rapid City 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 Rapid City, SD metro area?
There are 101 gas stations on map listings in the Rapid City metro area as of September 2026. 82 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rapid City, SD metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $191.2M a year, or $3,044 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 62,789 households in the Rapid City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rapid City, SD metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Rapid City metro area has 16.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 48% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.9M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the national ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Rapid City metro area would have about 80, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 714 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rapid City, SD metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rapid City metro area at 156,934 people in 2025, up 6.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 62,789 households. The median household income in the Rapid City metro area is $75,255 a year, 7% 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 Rapid City metro area scores 46 for gas stations (lower middle), #227 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 Rapid City 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 Rapid City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rapid City 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 Rapid City 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.