Auto · Metro area · West Virginia
Gas stations in the Charleston, WV metro area
How the Charleston, WV 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 14 out of 100: Low
Ranked #380 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 149
- 141 chain locations (95%)
- Official establishments
- 89
- −7.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $217.6M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,491 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.1
- 57% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 200,170
- −4.7% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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
The Charleston metro area scores 14 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #380 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Charleston metro area comes to about $217.6M a year: $2,491 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each station on map listings, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
The Charleston metro area has 149 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 95% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 17.1 for every 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 89 businesses with payroll in the Charleston metro area classed as gasoline stations, down 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 982 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Charleston metro area declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Charleston metro area compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Charleston metro area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.1 | 14.7 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.9M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 982 | 829 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.3% | −5.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,491 | $2,725 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $60,117 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 14 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 89−7.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 902
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 149141 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The 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 Charleston 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 Charleston metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 200,170−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 87,358
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,746 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $60,117
- Average household income
- $81,990
- Median home value
- $141,100
- Jobs located here
- 110,278
- Daytime population
- 231,110Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in West Virginia for gas stations, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Charleston metro area marked.
Top metro areas in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 87 | 85 | 7.2 | $4.3M | +7.1% | #6 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 76 | 1,534 | 6.5 | $4.1M | +3.3% | #28 of 387 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 67 | 69 | 12.4 | $2.6M | +6.5% | #87 of 387 |
| 1Morgantown, WV | 46 | 52 | 9.1 | $3M | +1.3% | #220 of 387 |
| 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 29 | 45 | 11.9 | $2.2M | −2.3% | #327 of 387 |
| 3Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 18 | 280 | 18.4 | $1.5M | −2.6% | #368 of 387 |
| 4Wheeling, WV-OH | 15 | 85 | 14.6 | $1.8M | −3.6% | #375 of 387 |
| 5Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 15 | 80 | 16.1 | $1.6M | −3.6% | #378 of 387 |
| 6Charleston, WV | 14 | 149 | 17.1 | $1.5M | −4.7% | #380 of 387 |
| 7Beckley, WV | 11 | 91 | 20.2 | $1.3M | −4.3% | #383 of 387 |
Other business types in the Charleston 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 Charleston, WV metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 149 gas stations in the Charleston metro area. 141 of them (95%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 89 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Charleston, WV metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $217.6M a year, or $2,491 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 149 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 87,358 households in the Charleston metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Charleston, WV metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Charleston metro area has 17.1 gas stations per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.5M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Charleston metro area would have about 91, against 149 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 982 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Charleston, WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Charleston metro area at 200,170 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 87,358 households. Median household income in the Charleston metro area is $60,117, 26% 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 Charleston metro area scores 14 for gas stations (low), #380 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 Charleston 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 Charleston metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Charleston 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 Charleston 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.