Auto · County · Alabama
Car washes and detailers in DeKalb County, AL
The car washes and detailers in DeKalb County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #727 of 1,451 scored counties
#14 of 35 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 12
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $25.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $983 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 74,085
- +3.4% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in DeKalb County
The site report maps the car washes and detailers on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of DeKalb County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 car washes and detailers in DeKalb County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 4.6 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in DeKalb County spend about $25.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $983 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 12 car washes and detailers, that is $2.1M per location, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which car washes and detailers share with other businesses in the trade.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in DeKalb County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.5M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in DeKalb County.
Population estimates show DeKalb County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). DeKalb County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #727 of 1,451 scored counties and #14 of 35 scored counties in Alabama.
How DeKalb County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the car washes and detailers counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | DeKalb County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.3M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 7,159 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +43.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $983 | $929 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,204 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in DeKalb County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in DeKalb County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 74,085+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 26,181
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $51,204+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,235
- Median home value
- $152,700
- Jobs located here
- 22,918
- Daytime population
- 67,317Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in DeKalb County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the car washes and detailers on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of DeKalb County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCar washes and detailing across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Alabama, with DeKalb County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chilton County, AL | 78 | 5 | 2.8 | $3.6M | +5.9% | #74 of 1,451 |
| 2Baldwin County, AL | 78 | 29 | 2.9 | $3.3M | +14.8% | #79 of 1,451 |
| 3Lee County, AL | 78 | 20 | 2.9 | $3.3M | +8.6% | #80 of 1,451 |
| 4Shelby County, AL | 73 | 33 | 3.8 | $2.8M | +6.5% | #167 of 1,451 |
| 5Limestone County, AL | 72 | 17 | 4.2 | $2.6M | +18.0% | #191 of 1,451 |
| 6Autauga County, AL | 70 | 6 | 2.6 | $3.8M | +5.1% | #226 of 1,451 |
| 7St. Clair County, AL | 64 | 13 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +7.1% | #365 of 1,451 |
| 8Coffee County, AL | 64 | 8 | 3.8 | $2.6M | +6.3% | #372 of 1,451 |
| 9Cullman County, AL | 60 | 13 | 3.7 | $2.9M | +6.7% | #458 of 1,451 |
| 10Tuscaloosa County, AL | 59 | 37 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +3.8% | #500 of 1,451 |
| 14DeKalb County, AL | 50 | 12 | 4.6 | $2.1M | +3.4% | #727 of 1,451 |
Other business types in DeKalb County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care41
- Auto repair shops39
- Collision repair and body shops43
- Car washes and detailing50
- Tire shops30
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations65
- Insurance agencies79
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many car washes and detailers are in DeKalb County, AL?
There are 12 car washes and detailers on map listings in DeKalb County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in DeKalb County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in DeKalb County, AL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $25.7M a year, or $983 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per location. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,181 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.
How does DeKalb County, AL compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
DeKalb County has 4.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.1M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, DeKalb County would have about 10, against 12 on map listings.
How fast is DeKalb County, AL growing?
Population estimates put DeKalb County at 74,085 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,181 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $51,204, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. DeKalb County scores 50 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #727 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in DeKalb County. It maps the car washes and detailers on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for car washes and detailers · All 56 business types in DeKalb County
Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of DeKalb County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.