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U.S. Convenience-Store Count Edges Down Slightly

Little change to industry total compared to 2024, according to annual NACS/NIQ TDLinx report
u.s. map
Photograph: Shutterstock

The U.S. convenience-store universe shrank slightly since last year, with 152,255 c-stores operating in the United States in 2025, a decrease of 0.1% or 141 fewer units than in the 2024 count of 152,396 locations, according to the 2025 NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Industry Store Count.

U.S. C-Stores (as of Dec. 31, 2024)

  • 2025: 152,255 (-0.1%)

  • 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 number of convenience stores that sell fuel is 121,852 stores, an increase of 1,791 locations selling fuel in 2024. Overall, convenience stores sell approximately 80% of the fuel purchased in the United States, NACS said.

Also, 60% of all c-stores are single-store operators, the association said.

The bulk of convenience stores comes from “A-sized” (1-10 stores) operators at 95,946 locations (63% of total c-stores), said NACS. “E-sized” operators with more than 500 stores account for 34,042 stores (22.4%), it said. 

States By the Numbers

Texas continues to have the most convenience stores, the count shows, growing by 112 stores to 16,416, or more than one in 10 stores in the United States. California was second despite a decrease of eight stores to 12,169, and Florida added 46 stores to 9,732, which was third overall. The rest of the top 10 was New York (7,704, down 290), Georgia (7,053, up 133), Ohio (5,795, down 53), North Carolina (5,779, down 18), Michigan (4,986, up 43), Pennsylvania (4,819, down 82) and Illinois (4,735, down 24). 

With the U.S. population at an estimated 340 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there is one convenience store per every 2,233 people in the United States. 

Channel Shifts

The dollar store channel continued to expand its retail presence, while other brick-and-mortar channels such as grocery and drug—as well as convenience—saw declines, according to NACS:

Channel

2025

2024

% Change

Convenience

152,255

152,396

-0.1%

Grocery

43,692

45,047

-3.0% 

Drug

38,514

39,752

-3.1% 

Dollar

39,003

38,435

+1.5%

(Source: 2025 NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Industry Store Count)

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, Alexandria, Va.-based NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is an adviser to retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries.

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