Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · California

Car washes and detailers in the Clearlake, CA area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Clearlake, CA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #96 of 441 scored small-town markets
#3 of 6 scored small-town markets based in California

Listings
11
2 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$30.4M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,129 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.1
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
67,772
−0.6% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Clearlake area

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 the Clearlake area. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 car washes and detailers in the Clearlake area. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.1 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

At $1,129 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the Clearlake area spend about $30.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $2.8M of household spending for each location on map listings, 10% above 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 the Clearlake area: counts under 3 aren’t published.

Population estimates put the population change in the Clearlake area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Clearlake area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #96 of 441 scored small-town markets and #3 of 6 scored small-town markets based in California. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.

How the Clearlake area compares

The same measures for California 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 Clearlake, CA area compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureClearlake areaCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.13.33.8
Spending per listing$2.8M$3.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a6,0736,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+10.2%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.6%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,129$1,122$958
Median household income$60,621$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6660

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
112 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Clearlake area, 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 the Clearlake area

Population, 2025 estimate
67,772−0.6% since 2020
Households
26,940
Median age
44.9
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,255 sq. mi.
People per square mile
54
Median household income
$60,621+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,306
Median home value
$324,300
Jobs located here
15,936
Daytime population
61,990Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Clearlake area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Clearlake area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Car washes and detailing across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in California for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in California (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Clearlake area marked.

Top small-town markets in California

Small-town markets in California ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Truckee-Grass Valley, CA78112.6$4.6M−0.4%#22 of 441
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA7083.7$3.4M+0.9%#71 of 441
2Ukiah, CA6972.0$5.2M−3.5%#78 of 441
3Clearlake, CA66114.1$2.8M−0.6%#96 of 441
4Sonora, CA6594.0$2.9M−4.0%#102 of 441
5Red Bluff, CA6193.6$3M−1.7%#131 of 441
6Eureka-Arcata, CA47244.4$2.3M−3.4%#240 of 441

Other business types in the Clearlake area

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in the Clearlake, CA area?

There are 11 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Clearlake area as of September 2026. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in the Clearlake area: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in the Clearlake, CA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $30.4M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 26,940 households in the Clearlake area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Clearlake, CA area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

The Clearlake area has 4.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.8M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Clearlake area would have about 12, against 11 on map listings.

How fast is the Clearlake, CA area growing?

Population estimates put the Clearlake area at 67,772 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 26,940 households. Median household income in the Clearlake area is $60,621, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Clearlake area scores 66 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #96 of 441 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Clearlake area. 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 the Clearlake area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Clearlake area?

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 the Clearlake area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.