Groundwork

Auto · County · Alabama

Car washes and detailers in Jefferson County, AL

The car washes and detailers in Jefferson County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,142 of 1,451 scored counties
#28 of 35 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
115
26 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
46
+119.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$233.8M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $866 a household
Spending per listing
$2M
19% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.3
13% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
665,742
−1.3% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Jefferson County is 33 (lower middle), #1,142 of 1,451 scored counties and #28 of 35 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $866 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $233.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $2M per location, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.

There are 115 car washes and detailers on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.3, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Jefferson County was 46 in 2023, up 119.1% from 2019. That is one for every 5,867 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Jefferson County. Population estimates show Jefferson County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Jefferson 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.

Car washes and detailing in Jefferson County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.34.13.8
Spending per listing$2M$2.3M$2.5M
Households per official establishment5,8677,1596,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+119.1%+43.1%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$866$929$958
Median household income$66,388$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score3349

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 46+119.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
298
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
11526 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
93The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

Population, 2025 estimate
665,742−1.3% since 2020
Households
269,883
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,112 sq. mi.
People per square mile
601
Median household income
$66,388+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,697
Median home value
$240,000
Jobs located here
395,444
Daytime population
777,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Car 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 Jefferson County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chilton County, AL7852.8$3.6M+5.9%#74 of 1,451
2Baldwin County, AL78292.9$3.3M+14.8%#79 of 1,451
3Lee County, AL78202.9$3.3M+8.6%#80 of 1,451
4Shelby County, AL73333.8$2.8M+6.5%#167 of 1,451
5Limestone County, AL72174.2$2.6M+18.0%#191 of 1,451
6Autauga County, AL7062.6$3.8M+5.1%#226 of 1,451
7St. Clair County, AL64133.7$2.8M+7.1%#365 of 1,451
8Coffee County, AL6483.8$2.6M+6.3%#372 of 1,451
9Cullman County, AL60133.7$2.9M+6.7%#458 of 1,451
10Tuscaloosa County, AL59374.1$2.2M+3.8%#500 of 1,451
28Jefferson County, AL331154.3$2M−1.3%#1,142 of 1,451

Other business types in Jefferson County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Jefferson County, AL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 115 car washes and detailers in Jefferson County. 26 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 119.1% from 2019.

How much do households in Jefferson County, AL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $233.8M a year, or $866 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 115 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2M per location. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which car washes and detailers share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 269,883 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Jefferson County, AL compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

Jefferson County has 4.3 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 93, against 115 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,867 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 119.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 665,742 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 269,883 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $66,388 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Jefferson County scores 33 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,142 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.