Auto · County · North Carolina
Oil change and quick-lube shops in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for oil change and quick-lube shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #115 of 479 scored counties
#5 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 8
- 8 chain locations (100%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $87.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $935 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.9M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.9
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the oil change and quick-lube shops around any address in Gaston County
The site report maps the oil change and quick-lube shops 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 Gaston 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
Households in Gaston County spend about $87.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $935 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 8 oil change and quick-lube shops, that is $10.9M per shop, 20% below the U.S. figure of $13.7M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only oil change and quick-lube shops.
There are 8 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. All of them are chain locations, against 73% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.9, 29% above the U.S. rate of 0.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as oil change and lubrication shops in Gaston County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 31,192 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Gaston County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For oil change and quick-lube shops, Gaston County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #115 of 479 scored counties and #5 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Gaston County compares
The same measures for North Carolina and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the oil change and quick-lube shops 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Spending per listing | $10.9M | $11.6M | $13.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 31,192 | 12,977 | 14,222 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.9% | +12.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $935 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 88 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 oil change and lubrication shops in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Gaston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOil change and quick lube across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for oil change and quick-lube shops, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Gaston County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham County, NC | 74 | 5 | 0.4 | $23.3M | +7.7% | #37 of 479 |
| 2Union County, NC | 70 | 8 | 0.9 | $12.1M | +11.7% | #74 of 479 |
| 3Brunswick County, NC | 69 | 6 | 0.9 | $11.1M | +26.5% | #81 of 479 |
| 4Johnston County, NC | 67 | 6 | 0.7 | $15.2M | +17.9% | #95 of 479 |
| 5Gaston County, NC | 65 | 8 | 0.9 | $10.9M | +7.8% | #115 of 479 |
| 6Catawba County, NC | 63 | 6 | 0.9 | $10.9M | +5.8% | #131 of 479 |
| 7Wake County, NC | 60 | 27 | 0.6 | $16.2M | +11.2% | #152 of 479 |
| 8Randolph County, NC | 58 | 5 | 0.9 | $11.7M | +3.5% | #180 of 479 |
| 9Rowan County, NC | 57 | 6 | 1.0 | $9.6M | +5.6% | #195 of 479 |
| 10Onslow County, NC | 56 | 6 | 0.8 | $11.4M | +6.0% | #202 of 479 |
Other business types in Gaston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care51
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube65
- Gas stations72
- Insurance agencies81
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many oil change and quick-lube shops are in Gaston County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 oil change and quick-lube shops in Gaston County. 8 of them (100%) are chain locations. The listings count oil change and quick-lube shops. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as oil change and lubrication shops in 2023.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $87.5M a year, or $935 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings, it comes to $10.9M per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which oil change and quick-lube shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for oil change and quick-lube shops?
Gaston County has 0.9 oil change and quick-lube shops per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 0.7. Spending per shop is $10.9M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $13.7M. At the U.S. ratio of oil change and quick-lube shops to household spending, Gaston County would have about 6, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 31,192 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 65 for oil change and quick-lube shops (upper middle), #115 of 479 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston County. It maps the oil change and quick-lube shops 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 oil change and quick-lube shops · All 56 business types in Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.