Buc-ee's Will Open 12 Stores Through 2028, Each Hiring About 250 Workers

Buc-ee's plans 12 new stores through 2028, and each location brings roughly 250 jobs — about 3,000 positions in total — at a starting wage of $20 an hour, roughly 33% above what the average US gas station worker makes.

A Buc-ee's spokesperson told FOX Business the chain has a dozen new locations on the schedule through 2028. According to Mashed, each store employs around 250 people. In a small county, that's one of the largest private hiring events of the decade, landing all at one exit.

The timing matters for household budgets. Regular gas averaged $4.15 a gallon nationally on November 2, even after a 7.0% drop over the past month. When the cost of driving to work is still high, a job that beats the local fuel-counter rate carries real weight.

Where the stores are going

LiveNOW from FOX's July 2026 report laid out the schedule:

• 2026: San Marcos, Texas; Benton, Arkansas; Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• 2027: Ruston, Louisiana; Kansas City, Kansas; Gallaway, Tennessee; St. Lucie, Florida; Boerne, Texas; Monroe County, Georgia; Oak Creek, Wisconsin
• 2028: Mebane, North Carolina; Lafayette, Louisiana

Starting in 2029, Ocala, Florida; West Memphis, Arkansas; Oak Grove, Kentucky; and Hardeeville, South Carolina are expected to follow. The chain keeps adding stores in Texas and the Southeast, but it's also pushing into Midwestern markets like Kansas City and suburban Milwaukee, where it will compete for workers who've never heard its pay pitch.

What does the pay actually look like?

Pay signs inside Buc-ee's stores list $20 an hour as the starting wage for cashiers, warehouse workers, maintenance employees and stockers. Indeed estimates the average US gas station worker makes about $15 an hour. Over a 40-hour week, Buc-ee's entry rate comes to $800 before taxes. Pay varies by location, and store managers earn considerably more.

For context, the average hourly wage across all private jobs was $37.81 in September, and median weekly pay for full-time workers was $1,232 in the third quarter. But those averages include engineers, nurses and lawyers. The fair comparison for someone choosing between entry-level retail jobs is other fuel and convenience stores — and Buc-ee's comes out well ahead of them.

Why nearby employers may have to raise pay

When 250 jobs open at the same exit, every fast-food counter, grocery store and convenience store nearby faces a choice: pay more or lose staff. A worker making $15 an hour can drive down the road for an immediate raise. Small independent gas stations near the same highway will feel this most, since they compete with Buc-ee's at the pump and for workers.

The likely winners are people stuck at the lower end of local pay: teenagers after a first job, career changers, and retirees who want steady hours to stretch a fixed income. Any local wage lift will depend on how tight the job market already is. Still, a well-funded employer with a published pay floor gives everyone a new benchmark.

Hiring usually starts weeks before opening day, because a store this size needs trained staff from hour one. If you live near a 2026 or 2027 site, watch the Buc-ee's careers page for location-specific listings — and watch the Midwest pay signs. If the $20 floor holds in Kansas City and Oak Creek, Buc-ee's sets one national standard rather than matching local wages, and every worker within commuting distance benefits.