Auto · Metro area · Wisconsin
Gas stations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area
How the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #208 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 563
- 447 chain locations (79%)
- Official establishments
- 510
- −1.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On gasoline and other fuels · $2,400 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,575,010
- 0.0% since 2020
See the gas stations around any address in the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha 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
At $2,400 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area spend about $1.6B a year on gasoline and other fuels. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each station on map listings, 17% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M.
There are 563 gas stations on map listings in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 447 are chain locations, or 79%, against 84% across the U.S. That comes to 8.6 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 510 businesses with payroll in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area classed as gasoline stations, down 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,287 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $21.4M have gone to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gas stations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area is 48 (lower middle), #208 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin.
How the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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.
| Measure | Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.6 | 11.3 | 10.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $2.4M | $2.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,287 | 979 | 1,184 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.7% | −0.8% | −3.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on gasoline and other fuels | $2,400 | $2,672 | $2,595 |
| Median household income | $78,218 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 510−1.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,423
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $123.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 563447 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 660The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $21.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as gasoline stations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,575,0100.0% since 2020
- Households
- 656,436
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,455 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,078
- Median household income
- $78,218+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,675
- Median home value
- $306,400
- Jobs located here
- 863,760
- Daytime population
- 1,652,441Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 71 | 877 | 5.9 | $4.5M | +2.6% | #55 of 387 |
| 1Madison, WI | 62 | 238 | 7.9 | $3.2M | +4.1% | #110 of 387 |
| 2La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 58 | 50 | 6.9 | $3.8M | +0.4% | #138 of 387 |
| 3Appleton, WI | 57 | 94 | 9.4 | $3M | +2.7% | #145 of 387 |
| 4Wausau, WI | 55 | 61 | 10.5 | $2.7M | +1.0% | #163 of 387 |
| 5Eau Claire, WI | 50 | 71 | 9.9 | $2.8M | +2.6% | #194 of 387 |
| 6Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 48 | 563 | 8.6 | $2.8M | 0.0% | #208 of 387 |
| 7Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 46 | 77 | 10.6 | $2.5M | +1.4% | #223 of 387 |
| 8Kenosha, WI | 44 | 71 | 10.3 | $2.7M | −0.4% | #236 of 387 |
| 9Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 44 | 83 | 10.3 | $2.6M | +0.4% | #237 of 387 |
Other business types in the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 563 gas stations in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area. 447 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count gas stations. Official counts show 510 businesses with payroll classed as gasoline stations in 2023, down 1.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area spend on gasoline and other fuels?
About $1.6B a year, or $2,400 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 563 gas stations on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per station. It is estimated from the incomes of the 656,436 households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area compare with the U.S. for gas stations?
The Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area has 8.6 gas stations per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 10.9. Spending per station is $2.8M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $2.4M. At the U.S. ratio of gas stations to household spending, the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area would have about 660, against 563 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,287 households, against one for every 1,184 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −3.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area at 1,575,010 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 656,436 households. Median household income in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area is $78,218, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area scores 48 for gas stations (lower middle), #208 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Milwaukee-Waukesha 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha 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.