Auto · County · California
Car washes and detailers in Placer County, CA
The car washes and detailers in Placer County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 85 out of 100: High
Ranked #36 of 1,451 scored counties
#5 of 45 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 51
- 11 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $191M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,209 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 49% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,081
- +8.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Placer 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 Placer 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
The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Placer County is 85 (high), #36 of 1,451 scored counties and #5 of 45 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.
At $1,209 per household (26% above the U.S. average), households in Placer County spend about $191M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $3.7M of household spending for each location on map listings, 49% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 51 car washes and detailers on map listings in Placer County as of September 2026. 11 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.2 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Placer County was 24 in 2023. That is one for every 6,581 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Placer County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Placer County grew 8.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Placer 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 | Placer County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,581 | 6,073 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,209 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $115,998 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 85 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 24
- Employees, 2023
- 237
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Placer 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 Placer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,081+8.9% since 2020
- Households
- 157,954
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,407 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 298
- Median household income
- $115,998+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $150,239
- Median home value
- $688,100
- Jobs located here
- 187,169
- Daytime population
- 424,461Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Placer 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 Placer 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 Placer 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 |
Other business types in Placer 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 care79
- Auto repair shops77
- Collision repair and body shops74
- Car washes and detailing85
- Tire shops90
- Oil change and quick lube91
- Gas stations78
- Insurance agencies36
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 Placer County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 51 car washes and detailers in Placer County. 11 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Placer County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $191M a year, or $1,209 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.7M 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 157,954 households in Placer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Placer County, CA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Placer County has 3.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.7M, 49% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Placer County would have about 76, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,581 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Placer County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Placer County at 442,081 people in 2025, up 8.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 157,954 households. The median household income in Placer County is $115,998 a year, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. Placer County scores 85 for car washes and detailers (high), #36 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Placer 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 Placer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Placer 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 Placer 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.