Texas, California and Florida accounted for more than 20 percent of the nation’s 116,855 gas stations with paid employees in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s about one gas station per 2,500 people.

Gas stations employed more than 910,000 people, with a total annual payroll of $15 billion. At the county level, Los Angeles (1,723); Harris (Houston), Texas (1,397); and Cook (Chicago), Illinois (1,090) had the highest number of gas stations.

Nationally, the average annual payroll per gas station employee in 2006 was $16,449. Hawaii ($27,669), Connecticut ($21,927) and Alaska ($21,890) had the highest average annual payroll per employee in this industry. Among larger counties, Honolulu, Hawaii ($32,142), Troup, Georgia ($31,833), and Hunterdon, New Jersey ($28,869), were among those that reported average annual payroll per employee higher than the national average.