Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Washington

Gas stations in the Shelton, WA area

How the Shelton, WA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gas stations: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 92 out of 100: Very high

Ranked #3 of 536 scored small-town markets
#1 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington

Listings
34
27 chain locations (79%)
Official establishments
20
−16.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$85M
On gasoline and other fuels · $3,266 a household
Spending per listing
$2.5M
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.1
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
71,165
+7.8% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Shelton 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 Shelton 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

For gas stations, the Shelton area has a Groundwork market score of 92 (very high): #3 of 536 scored small-town markets and #1 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gas stations.

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Shelton area comes to about $85M a year: $3,266 per household, 26% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per station, 5% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 34 gas stations on map listings in the Shelton area as of September 2026. 27 of them (79%) are chain locations, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.

Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in the Shelton area in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,301 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Shelton area. Population estimates show the Shelton area grew 7.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Shelton area compares

The same measures for Washington 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 Shelton, WA area compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureShelton areaWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.19.510.9
Spending per listing$2.5M$2.9M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,3011,6971,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−16.7%−3.9%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.8%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$3,266$2,729$2,595
Median household income$83,270$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score9274

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20−16.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
124
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3427 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$9.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
71,165+7.8% since 2020
Households
26,029
Median age
45.5
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
960 sq. mi.
People per square mile
71
Median household income
$83,270+44.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,630
Median home value
$411,800
Jobs located here
13,833
Daytime population
54,996Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Shelton area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Shelton area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Washington for gas stations, numbered among those based in Washington, with the Shelton area marked.

Top small-town markets in Washington

Small-town markets in Washington ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Shelton, WA923413.1$2.5M+7.8%#3 of 536
2Port Townsend, WA80159.2$3M+2.7%#28 of 536
3Oak Harbor, WA78215.8$5.1M−1.5%#33 of 536
4Pullman, WA69189.6$2.6M+1.5%#80 of 536
5Port Angeles, WA674412.6$2.2M+1.1%#100 of 536
6Ellensburg, WA673316.5$1.8M+4.2%#102 of 536
7Aberdeen, WA644514.7$2M+3.0%#122 of 536
8Centralia, WA647823.7$1.3M+6.7%#127 of 536
9Moses Lake, WA568323.4$1.3M+6.3%#212 of 536
10Othello, WA431625.4$1.3M+4.3%#347 of 536

Other business types in the Shelton area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Shelton, WA area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 34 gas stations in the Shelton area. 27 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019.

How much do households in the Shelton, WA area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $85M a year, or $3,266 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,029 households in the Shelton area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Shelton, WA area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Shelton area has 13.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.5M, 5% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Shelton area would have about 36, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,301 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Shelton, WA area growing?

Population estimates put the Shelton area at 71,165 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,029 households. Median household income in the Shelton area is $83,270, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 44.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Shelton area scores 92 for gas stations (very high), #3 of 536 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Shelton 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 Shelton area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Shelton 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 Shelton 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.