Auto · County · California
Car washes and detailers in Kern County, CA
The car washes and detailers in Kern County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #468 of 1,451 scored counties
#34 of 45 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 121
- 40 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- −13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $306.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,075 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
Households in Kern County spend about $306.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,075 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.5M per location, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 121 car washes and detailers on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.2 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Kern County in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 6,062 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $5.1M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Kern County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kern County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, Kern County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #468 of 1,451 scored counties and #34 of 45 scored counties in California.
How Kern 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.
| Measure | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,062 | 6,073 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.0% | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,075 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54 → 47−13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 464
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12140 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 122The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $5.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 89 | 6 | 2.9 | $5M | +8.6% | #9 of 1,451 |
| 2Madera County, CA | 89 | 15 | 3.3 | $3.6M | +7.4% | #14 of 1,451 |
| 3Yuba County, CA | 86 | 6 | 2.1 | $5.4M | +8.2% | #24 of 1,451 |
| 4Calaveras County, CA | 86 | 6 | 3.3 | $4M | +2.8% | #26 of 1,451 |
| 5Placer County, CA | 85 | 51 | 3.2 | $3.7M | +8.9% | #36 of 1,451 |
| 6Contra Costa County, CA | 82 | 96 | 2.3 | $5.3M | +0.3% | #47 of 1,451 |
| 7Santa Clara County, CA | 78 | 152 | 2.3 | $5.2M | −0.9% | #73 of 1,451 |
| 8Santa Cruz County, CA | 77 | 15 | 1.5 | $7.9M | −4.7% | #86 of 1,451 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 76 | 20 | 2.6 | $4.9M | +0.6% | #105 of 1,451 |
| 10Nevada County, CA | 75 | 11 | 2.6 | $4.6M | −0.4% | #117 of 1,451 |
| 34Kern County, CA | 60 | 121 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +2.3% | #468 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Kern 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 care45
- Auto repair shops47
- Collision repair and body shops62
- Car washes and detailing60
- Tire shops41
- Oil change and quick lube56
- Gas stations54
- Insurance agencies55
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 Kern County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 121 car washes and detailers in Kern County. 40 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $306.2M a year, or $1,075 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Kern County has 4.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.5M, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Kern County would have about 122, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,062 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 60 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #468 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.