Auto · County · West Virginia
Gas stations in McDowell County, WV
The gas stations in McDowell County, WV, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 9 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,341 of 2,358 scored counties
#40 of 40 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 14
- 9 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.9M
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,457 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 52% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.6
- 98% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,878
- −10.9% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell County. 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
McDowell County scores 9 (very low) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #2,341 of 2,358 scored counties and #40 of 40 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in McDowell County comes to about $15.9M a year: $2,457 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each station on map listings, 52% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
McDowell County has 14 gas stations on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 64% of them, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 21.6 for every 10,000 households, 98% above the U.S. rate of 10.9.
Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in McDowell County in 2023. That is one for every 497 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at −10.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How McDowell County 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 | McDowell County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.6 | 14.7 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.9M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 497 | 829 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −10.9% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,457 | $2,725 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $31,559 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 9 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 93
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 149 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,878−10.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,467
- Median age
- 42.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 534 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $31,559+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $43,863
- Median home value
- $50,000
- Jobs located here
- 3,064
- Daytime population
- 16,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell County. 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 counties in West Virginia for gas stations, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with McDowell County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 93 | 7 | 3.1 | $11M | +9.2% | #8 of 2,358 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 92 | 34 | 6.7 | $4.7M | +13.7% | #13 of 2,358 |
| 3Hampshire County, WV | 82 | 7 | 8.1 | $3.9M | +4.4% | #111 of 2,358 |
| 4Mineral County, WV | 74 | 5 | 4.5 | $6.6M | −0.4% | #276 of 2,358 |
| 5Monongalia County, WV | 62 | 34 | 7.6 | $3.4M | +2.0% | #644 of 2,358 |
| 6Marshall County, WV | 54 | 11 | 8.8 | $3M | −4.4% | #979 of 2,358 |
| 7Taylor County, WV | 49 | 9 | 13.6 | $2.1M | −2.4% | #1,214 of 2,358 |
| 8Upshur County, WV | 46 | 12 | 12.6 | $2.2M | −0.3% | #1,348 of 2,358 |
| 9Hardy County, WV | 46 | 9 | 15.1 | $2M | +0.7% | #1,353 of 2,358 |
| 10Wood County, WV | 43 | 43 | 12.0 | $2.2M | −2.1% | #1,462 of 2,358 |
| 40McDowell County, WV | 9 | 14 | 21.6 | $1.1M | −10.9% | #2,341 of 2,358 |
Other business types in McDowell County
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 McDowell County, WV?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 14 gas stations in McDowell County. 9 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023.
How much do households in McDowell County, WV spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $15.9M a year, or $2,457 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,467 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, WV compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
McDowell County has 21.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 98% above the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $1.1M, 52% below the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, McDowell County would have about 7, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 497 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, WV growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 16,878 people in 2025, down 10.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,467 households. Median household income in McDowell County is $31,559, 61% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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. McDowell County scores 9 for gas stations (very low), #2,341 of 2,358 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.