Gasoline Stations

NAICS 447 covers retail establishments selling gasoline, diesel, and other motor fuels to the public, typically combined with convenience store operations, car washes, and ancillary services. The United States operates approximately 150,000 gasoline stations, making this one of the most geographically distributed retail sectors in the economy. Fuel margins are thin — typically 10-15 cents per gallon — which has forced the business model to evolve toward convenience retail as the primary profit center.

The sector divides between branded stations operating under major petroleum company flags — Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, and Phillips 66 — and independent or unbranded operators who source fuel on the wholesale spot market. Major convenience-fuel operators include Pilot Flying J (a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary operating over 750 truck stops), Casey's General Stores (headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, with 2,600+ locations), Wawa (concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic and Florida), QuikTrip (based in Tulsa, Oklahoma), and Sheetz (headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania). These chains have transformed the gas station model into destination convenience retail with made-to-order food programs.

EV charging infrastructure is reshaping long-term planning. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with $5 billion, is installing DC fast chargers along interstate corridors. California's Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which phases out new internal combustion vehicle sales by 2035, represents the most aggressive state-level timeline affecting future fuel demand. Station owners in California, Oregon, and Washington face the earliest transition pressure.