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Car washes and detailers in Los Angeles County, CA

How Los Angeles County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #555 of 1,451 scored counties
#37 of 45 scored counties in California

Listings
1,052
140 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
591
+1.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$3.6B
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,040 a household
Spending per listing
$3.4M
34% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.1
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
9,694,934
−3.0% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,052 car washes and detailers in Los Angeles County. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.1, 18% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Los Angeles County comes to about $3.6B a year: $1,040 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,052 car washes and detailers, that is $3.4M per location, 34% 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.

Official counts show 591 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Los Angeles County in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 5,781 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 51 SBA-backed loans worth $95M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Los Angeles County.

Population estimates put the population change in Los Angeles County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Los Angeles County has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #555 of 1,451 scored counties and #37 of 45 scored counties in California.

How Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureLos Angeles CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.13.33.8
Spending per listing$3.4M$3.4M$2.5M
Households per official establishment5,7816,0736,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.6%+10.2%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.0%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,040$1,122$958
Median household income$90,112$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5660

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
582 → 591+1.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,344
Annual payroll, 2023
$158.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1,052140 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,411The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
51
Amount
$95M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
9,694,934−3.0% since 2020
Households
3,416,449
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
46%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,060 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,416
Median household income
$90,112+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$128,768
Median home value
$834,200
Jobs located here
4,875,632
Daytime population
10,082,231Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Los Angeles 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
37Los Angeles County, CA561,0523.1$3.4M−3.0%#555 of 1,451

Other business types in Los Angeles County

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

Questions

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

Los Angeles County has 1,052 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 140 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 591 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019.

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

About $3.6B a year, or $1,040 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,052 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.4M 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 3,416,449 households in Los Angeles County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Los Angeles County has 3.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.4M, 34% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Los Angeles County would have about 1,411, against 1,052 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,781 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Los Angeles County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Los Angeles County at 9,694,934 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,416,449 households. Median household income in Los Angeles County is $90,112, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.4%, 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. Los Angeles County scores 56 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #555 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles 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.