U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #467: April 30, 2007
Refueling Stations

In 1993 there were 1.11 refueling stations for every thousand vehicles on the road.There has been a steady decline in that ratio since then, not only due to the increase in the number of motor vehicles on the road, but also because the number of stations selling fuel has declined.By 2005, there were only 0.71 stations per thousand vehicles.

Refueling Stations per Thousand Vehicles
Graph showing the number of refueling stations in relation to the number of vehicles in operation. There has been a decline in the ratio since 1993. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Supporting Information

Stations Per Thousand Vehicles, 1993-2005
Year Number of Retail Outlets Vehicles in Operation (thousands) Stations per Thousand Vehicles
1993 207,416 186,315 1.11
1994 202,878 188,714 1.08
1995 195,455 193,441 1.01
1996 190,246 198,294 0.96
1997 187,892 201,071 0.93
1998 182,596 205,043 0.89
1999 180,567 209,509 0.86
2000 175,941 213,300 0.82
2001 172,169 216,683 0.79
2002 170,018 221,027 0.77
2003 167,571 225,882 0.74
2004 167,346 231,398 0.72
2005 168,987 237,697 0.71

Sources: National Petroleum News Survey, 2005
The Polk Company, Detroit, MI.

 

Return to 2007 Facts of the Week