In 2025, Convenience Store Gas Station Industry data points to a market where store traffic, fuel volumes, and operating costs are tightening together in ways many forecasts missed. The surprising part is how quickly consumer behavior and pricing pressure can reshuffle margins from one quarter to the next. Let’s look at the key figures that explain what’s changing and where the volatility is coming from.
Related reading
Consumer and Traffic
1Average customer visits per store 3,200 daily in 2023
Verified
270% of c-store customers are repeat weekly visitors in 2023
Verified
3Foodservice purchases made by 42% of c-store customers daily in 2023
Directional
4Average basket size $6.23 for combined fuel and inside in 2023
Directional
562% of customers buy beverages on every visit in 2023
Verified
6Millennial/Gen Z represent 48% of c-store shoppers in 2023
Verified
755% of traffic during peak morning hours 6-9 AM in 2023
Verified
8Female customers 51% of total c-store traffic in 2023
Verified
9Mobile app usage for payments 28% of transactions in 2023
Verified
10Loyalty program members 65% of customers in 2023
Single source
11Average dwell time inside store 4.2 minutes in 2023
Verified
1238% of customers buy snacks on impulse in 2023
Verified
13Weekend traffic 25% higher than weekdays in 2023
Verified
1472% of fuel buyers also purchase inside items in 2023
Verified
15Contactless payments 47% of inside transactions in 2023
Verified
16Hispanic consumers 22% of c-store traffic in 2023
Directional
17Average age of c-store customer 41 years in 2023
Single source
1829% growth in female foodservice buyers since 2020 in 2023
Directional
19Prime drive times account for 60% of daily traffic in 2023
Directional
2081% of customers value speed of service in 2023 survey
Verified
21Inside-only purchases 35% of transactions in 2023
Verified
22Urban c-stores see 15% higher traffic than rural in 2023
Single source
2367% of customers use c-stores for quick meals in 2023
Directional
24Transaction growth 3.2% to 162 billion in 2023
Directional
Consumer and Traffic Interpretation
It is a relentless, caffeinated ballet of loyalty and impulse where a staggering 3,200 daily patrons, over half of whom are in a morning sprint, are deftly separated from an average of $6.23 in just over four minutes, primarily for fuel, a beverage, and the sudden, undeniable need for a taquito.
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Fuel and Gas Sales
1Gasoline volume sold at c-stores was 77.2 billion gallons in 2023
Verified
2Average fuel price was $3.52 per gallon at c-stores in 2023
Verified
3Fuel sales revenue totaled $435.2 billion, up 1.4% in 2023
Verified
4Gasoline represented 92% of fuel volume sold in 2023
Verified
5Diesel sales volume 6.1 billion gallons at c-stores in 2023
Verified
6Average gross profit per gallon on gasoline was 19.8 cents in 2023
Verified
778.3% of c-stores offered diesel in 2023
Verified
8Ethanol-blended gasoline was 94.2% of all gasoline sold in 2023
Single source
9E85 sales volume 165 million gallons in 2023 at c-stores
Single source
10EV charging stations at 12,403 c-store locations in 2023
Verified
1182% of c-stores with fuel had 8 or more fueling positions in 2023
Verified
12Average fuel sales per store $2.86 million in 2023
Verified
13Premium gasoline share of sales 22.4% in 2023
Single source
14Midgrade gasoline 14.7% of volume in 2023
Single source
15Regular gasoline 62.9% of sales volume in 2023
Verified
16Fuel transactions averaged 2.1 million per store annually in 2023
Directional
17Pay-at-the-pump used in 85% of fuel transactions in 2023
Verified
18Average gallons per fuel transaction 9.8 in 2023
Single source
19CNG/LNG stations at 1,200 c-store sites in 2023
Verified
20Biodiesel offered at 15% of c-store fuel sites in 2023
Verified
21Fuel profit contribution 28% of total gross profit in 2023
Directional
22Gasoline demand declined 2.1% in volume 2023
Single source
23Diesel margins averaged 25.4 cents per gallon in 2023
Verified
2465% of c-stores offer 24-hour fueling in 2023
Verified
25EV chargers grew 45% to 12,403 sites in 2023
Verified
26Convenience stores captured 58% of U.S. fuel market share in 2023
Verified
Fuel and Gas Sales Interpretation
In 2023, America’s convenience stores, by deftly converting their colossal, 77-billion-gallon river of gasoline into a surprisingly modest 19.8-cent trickle of profit per gallon, proved they’re really just in the business of using fuel to lure you inside for a vastly more profitable gallon of milk and a lottery ticket.
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Operations and Employment
1Total c-store employees numbered 1.95 million in 2023
Directional
2Average wage per employee $16.45 per hour in 2023
Verified
365% of stores operate 24 hours daily in 2023
Verified
4Average store employs 12.8 FTEs in 2023
Directional
5Labor costs 28.4% of total operating expenses in 2023
Directional
6Self-checkout installed in 22% of c-stores in 2023
Verified
7Theft losses averaged $1,200 per store monthly in 2023
Single source
845% of operators reported labor shortages in 2023 survey
Verified
9Average turnover rate 112% annually in 2023
Verified
10POS systems upgraded in 58% of stores since 2020 by 2023
Verified
11Energy costs 8.2% of expenses in 2023
Verified
1276% of c-stores use CCTV surveillance in 2023
Verified
13Food prep equipment in 68% of stores in 2023
Verified
14Average rent/occupancy cost 9.1% of sales in 2023
Verified
15AI inventory management in 15% of chains in 2023
Verified
1692% acceptance of credit/debit cards in 2023
Verified
17Average training hours per employee 24 annually in 2023
Verified
18Renewable energy used by 12% of c-stores in 2023
Verified
19Drive-thru lanes at 18% of stores in 2023
Verified
20Shrinkage rate 1.8% of sales in 2023
Directional
2155% of operators plan expansion in next 5 years per 2023 survey
Verified
22Delivery services offered by 32% of urban c-stores in 2023
Single source
23Utility costs rose 7.4% year-over-year in 2023
Verified
2441% female workforce in c-stores in 2023
Single source
Operations and Employment Interpretation
We are an industry powered by 1.95 million people, many of whom we can't seem to keep for more than a year, all while trying to guard the slushies from an army of thieves on a budget barely above them.
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Product Sales (Inside)
1Beverages category grew 4.3% to $55.8 billion in 2023
Verified
2Cigarettes remained the top category at $60.1 billion despite 8.2% decline in 2023
Verified
3Snacks category sales increased 6.2% to $37.4 billion in 2023
Verified
4Packaged sweets sales reached $20.1 billion, up 5.4% in 2023
Verified
5Salty snacks sales were $17.3 billion, growing 7.1% in 2023
Verified
6Candy sales totaled $12.8 billion with 4.9% growth in 2023
Verified
7Foodservice overall sales hit $65.2 billion, 21.5% of in-store in 2023
Single source
8Prepared foodservice sales grew 9.1% to $32.7 billion in 2023
Verified
9Hot beverages sales were $6.2 billion, up 3.8% in 2023
Verified
10Energy drinks sales reached $10.4 billion, 18.6% of beverages in 2023
Verified
11Carbonated soft drinks sales $15.7 billion, down 1.2% in 2023
Single source
12Sports/energy drinks grew 12.3% to $10.4 billion in 2023
Verified
13Bottled water sales $9.8 billion, up 6.7% in 2023
Verified
14Beer sales totaled $18.9 billion in c-stores in 2023
Directional
15Wine sales grew to $4.2 billion, up 8.1% in 2023
Verified
16Other tobacco products (OTP) sales $14.5 billion, up 4.3% in 2023
Single source
17Alternative nicotine products like vapes reached $3.7 billion in 2023
Verified
18Health/energy bars sales $2.9 billion, growing 11.2% in 2023
Verified
19Fresh food sales increased 7.8% to $8.4 billion in 2023
Verified
20Frozen/refrigerated food sales $11.2 billion, up 5.9% in 2023
Verified
21OTC pharmaceuticals sales $6.7 billion in 2023
Directional
22Personal care products $4.1 billion, up 3.2% in 2023
Single source
23General merchandise $3.5 billion sales in 2023
Directional
24Lottery was 15% of in-store sales at $45.3 billion in 2023
Directional
Product Sales (Inside) Interpretation
The American convenience store now functions less like a simple pit stop and more like a one-stop temple of vice and vitality, where our collective craving for a quick sugar rush, a nicotine fix, and a hopeful lottery ticket is only narrowly outpaced by our sudden, guilt-driven interest in fresh food and energy bars.
More related reading
Revenue and Market Size
1U.S. convenience stores generated $837.4 billion in total in-store and fuel sales in 2023
Verified
2The convenience store industry saw a 2.8% increase in total sales from 2022 to 2023 reaching $837.4 billion
Verified
3Fuel sales accounted for 52% of total convenience store revenue in 2023 at $435.2 billion
Verified
4In-store merchandise sales hit a record $302.5 billion in 2023, up 5.7% from 2022
Verified
5Average gross margin for convenience stores was 38.7% on in-store sales in 2023
Verified
6Total number of convenience stores in the U.S. stood at 152,255 in 2023
Single source
7The top 10 convenience store chains accounted for 22.7% of total industry sales in 2023
Single source
8Convenience store foodservice sales reached $65.2 billion in 2023, representing 21.5% of in-store sales
Verified
9Packaged beverages generated $55.8 billion in sales in 2023, the largest in-store category at 18.5%
Directional
10Cigarettes sales declined to $60.1 billion in 2023, down 8.2% from prior year
Single source
11Average annual sales per store reached $5.5 million in 2023
Directional
12Industry profit margins averaged 4.2% in 2023 after expenses
Directional
13Foodservice prepared sales grew 9.1% to $32.7 billion in 2023
Verified
14Total U.S. gas station revenue was $632 billion in 2022
Verified
15Convenience stores with fuel represented 80% of all U.S. c-stores in 2023
Verified
16Average fuel profit margin was 19.8 cents per gallon in 2023
Verified
17In-store sales per customer transaction averaged $3.45 in 2023
Verified
18Total industry sales grew at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2018-2023
Single source
19Top 202 chains generated $275 billion in 2023
Verified
20Alternative fuels sales contributed $2.1 billion in 2023
Verified
21Snacks/candy sales hit $37.4 billion, up 6.2% in 2023
Verified
22Average store size was 2,821 square feet in 2023
Directional
23E-commerce penetration in c-stores was under 1% of sales in 2023
Verified
24Lottery sales totaled $45.3 billion across c-stores in 2023
Verified
25Gross profit from fuel was $31.2 billion in 2023
Verified
26In-store sales growth was led by foodservice at 9.1% in 2023
Verified
27Total U.S. gas stations numbered 113,802 in 2023
Verified
28Industry EBITDA margin averaged 6.8% in 2022
Verified
29Prepared food sales per store averaged $214,800 in 2023
Verified
30Total sales from top 10 states represented 45% of industry in 2023
Verified
Revenue and Market Size Interpretation
The convenience store has mastered the art of the profitable pitstop, where we begrudgingly pay a premium for a tank of gas that lures us inside to impulsively buy a record-breaking amount of snacks and surprisingly decent prepared food, all while the real money is made on a 38.7% markup on that soda you didn't need but now desperately crave.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Convenience Store Gas Station Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/convenience-store-gas-station-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Convenience Store Gas Station Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/convenience-store-gas-station-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Convenience Store Gas Station Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/convenience-store-gas-station-industry-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CONVENIENCEconvenience.org
convenience.org
- Reference 2CSPDAILYNEWScspdailynews.com
cspdailynews.com
- Reference 3NACSMAGAZINEnacsmagazine.com
nacsmagazine.com
- Reference 4STATISTAstatista.com
statista.com
- Reference 5IBISWORLDibisworld.com
ibisworld.com
- Reference 6AFDCafdc.energy.gov
afdc.energy.gov
- Reference 7EIAeia.gov
eia.gov