There are 152,396 convenience stores operating in the United States, a 1.5% increase from last year’s store count, according to the 2024 NACS/NIQ Convenience Industry Store Count.

Convenience stores sell an estimated 80% of the fuels purchased by consumers in the United States. The newly released c-store census shows that 120,061 convenience stores sell fuels, a 1.2% increase over 118,678 stores in 2023.

In the last decade, six of four years experienced growth in the convenience retail channel:

2024 — 152,396 (+1.5%)
2023 — 150,174 (+1.5%)
2022 — 148,026 (-1.5%)
2021 — 150,274 (-1.6%)
2020 — 152,720 (-0.3%)
2019 — 153,237 (-1.1%)
2018 — 154,958 (+0.3%)
2017 — 154,535 (+0.2%)
2016 — 154,195 (+0.9%)
2015 — 152,794 (+0.9%)

The bulk of convenience stores comes from “A-sized” (1-10 stores) operators at 96,156 locations (63.1% of total c-stores), of which 91,799 are single-store operators, up slightly from 90,423 stores in 2023. Second are “E-sized” operators with more than 500 stores.

Nearly every state increased its store count including Texas, which continues to have the most convenience stores (16,304 stores), or more than 1 in 10 stores in the United States. After losing 53 stores in 2023, California added 177 to its store count. Only seven states saw a reduction in their store count: Alaska, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma and Vermont.
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(Source: 2024 NACS/NIQ Convenience Industry Store Count)
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While the convenience store industry grew its retail presence in local communities throughout the United States, other brick-and-mortar channels had a different experience

With the U.S. population at an estimated 336 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there is one convenience store per every 2,204 people.

The 2024 NACS/NIQ Convenience Industry Store Count is based on stores in operation as of December 31, 2023.

About NACS
The leading global trade association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing, National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is a trusted adviser to retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 152,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, conducts 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $906.1 billion in 2022. For more information, visit www.Convenience.org. Follow NACS on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

NACS Contact:
Jeff Lenard
V.P., Strategic Industry Initiatives
703-518-4272
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