Groundwork

Auto · Metro area · Wisconsin

Gas stations in the Madison, WI metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gas stations in the Madison, WI metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #110 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin

Listings
238
209 chain locations (88%)
Official establishments
229
−3.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$759.4M
On gasoline and other fuels · $2,518 a household
Spending per listing
$3.2M
34% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.9
28% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
709,685
+4.1% since 2020

See the gas stations around any address in the Madison 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 Madison metro 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

Household spending on gasoline and other fuels in the Madison metro area comes to about $759.4M a year: $2,518 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.2M per station, 34% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.

There are 238 gas stations on map listings in the Madison metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 209 are chain locations, or 88%, against 84% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.9, 28% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 229 businesses with payroll in the Madison metro area classed as gasoline stations, down 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,317 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Madison metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Madison metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Madison metro area scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gas stations, ranking #110 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin.

How the Madison metro area compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Madison, WI metro area compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureMadison metro areaWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.911.310.9
Spending per listing$3.2M$2.4M$2.4M
Households per official establishment1,3179791,184
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.0%−0.8%−3.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.1%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels$2,518$2,672$2,595
Median household income$88,804$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6241

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
229−3.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,785
Annual payroll, 2023
$106.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
238209 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
318The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
709,685+4.1% since 2020
Households
301,580
Median age
39.0
Homes lived in by their owners
60%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
3,309 sq. mi.
People per square mile
209
Median household income
$88,804+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$116,647
Median home value
$372,400
Jobs located here
417,554
Daytime population
747,946Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Madison 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 Madison metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gas stations across Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Wisconsin for gas stations, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Madison metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Wisconsin

Metro areas in Wisconsin ranked for gas stations by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI718775.9$4.5M+2.6%#55 of 387
1Madison, WI622387.9$3.2M+4.1%#110 of 387
2La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN58506.9$3.8M+0.4%#138 of 387
3Appleton, WI57949.4$3M+2.7%#145 of 387
4Wausau, WI556110.5$2.7M+1.0%#163 of 387
5Eau Claire, WI50719.9$2.8M+2.6%#194 of 387
6Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI485638.6$2.8M0.0%#208 of 387
7Oshkosh-Neenah, WI467710.6$2.5M+1.4%#223 of 387
8Kenosha, WI447110.3$2.7M−0.4%#236 of 387
9Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI448310.3$2.6M+0.4%#237 of 387

Other business types in the Madison metro area

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

Questions

How many gas stations are in the Madison, WI metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 238 gas stations in the Madison metro area. 209 of them (88%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 229 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Madison, WI metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?

About $759.4M a year, or $2,518 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 238 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $3.2M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 301,580 households in the Madison metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Madison, WI metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?

The Madison metro area has 7.9 gas stations per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $3.2M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Madison metro area would have about 318, against 238 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,317 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Madison, WI metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Madison metro area at 709,685 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 301,580 households. Median household income in the Madison metro area is $88,804, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.7%, 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. The Madison metro area scores 62 for gas stations (upper middle), #110 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 Madison 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 Madison metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Madison 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 Madison 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.