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Car washes and detailers in Humboldt County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Humboldt County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #929 of 1,451 scored counties
#45 of 45 scored counties in California

Listings
24
2 chain locations (8%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$54.4M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $990 a household
Spending per listing
$2.3M
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.4
16% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
131,647
−3.4% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Humboldt County comes to about $54.4M a year: $990 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 24 car washes and detailers, that is $2.3M per location, 10% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.

Humboldt County has 24 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 8%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 4.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Humboldt County in 2023. That is one for every 6,102 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $48K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Humboldt County.

Population estimates show Humboldt County declined 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Humboldt County is 42 (lower middle), #929 of 1,451 scored counties and #45 of 45 scored counties in California.

How Humboldt County 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 Humboldt County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureHumboldt CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.43.33.8
Spending per listing$2.3M$3.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishment6,1026,0736,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+10.2%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.4%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$990$1,122$958
Median household income$61,160$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4260

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 9
Employees, 2023
26
Annual payroll, 2023
$807K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
242 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$48K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
131,647−3.4% since 2020
Households
54,922
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
3,568 sq. mi.
People per square mile
38
Median household income
$61,160+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,194
Median home value
$446,900
Jobs located here
48,178
Daytime population
133,286Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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 California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in California, with Humboldt County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA8962.9$5M+8.6%#9 of 1,451
2Madera County, CA89153.3$3.6M+7.4%#14 of 1,451
3Yuba County, CA8662.1$5.4M+8.2%#24 of 1,451
4Calaveras County, CA8663.3$4M+2.8%#26 of 1,451
5Placer County, CA85513.2$3.7M+8.9%#36 of 1,451
6Contra Costa County, CA82962.3$5.3M+0.3%#47 of 1,451
7Santa Clara County, CA781522.3$5.2M−0.9%#73 of 1,451
8Santa Cruz County, CA77151.5$7.9M−4.7%#86 of 1,451
9El Dorado County, CA76202.6$4.9M+0.6%#105 of 1,451
10Nevada County, CA75112.6$4.6M−0.4%#117 of 1,451
45Humboldt County, CA42244.4$2.3M−3.4%#929 of 1,451

Other business types in Humboldt County

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

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Humboldt County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 car washes and detailers in Humboldt County. 2 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.

How much do households in Humboldt County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $54.4M a year, or $990 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.3M 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 54,922 households in Humboldt County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Humboldt County has 4.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.3M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Humboldt County would have about 22, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,102 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.

How fast is Humboldt County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Humboldt County at 131,647 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 54,922 households. The median household income in Humboldt County is $61,160 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.3% 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. Humboldt County scores 42 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #929 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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.