Auto · County · California
Car washes and detailers in San Francisco County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in San Francisco County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #451 of 1,451 scored counties
#32 of 45 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 40
- 3 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $238.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $655 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6M
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.1
- 71% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,079
- −5.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 40 car washes and detailers in San Francisco County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 8%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.1, 71% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in San Francisco County spend about $238.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $655 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. Spread across 40 car washes and detailers, that is $6M per location, 2.4 times 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in San Francisco County was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 24,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in San Francisco County from 2020 to 2025 at −5.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Francisco County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #451 of 1,451 scored counties and #32 of 45 scored counties in California.
How San Francisco 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 | San Francisco County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $6M | $3.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 24,265 | 6,073 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $655 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $140,970 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 84
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 403 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 95The 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,079−5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 363,970
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 38%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 47 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 17,777
- Median household income
- $140,970+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $206,854
- Median home value
- $1,394,500
- Jobs located here
- 747,999
- Daytime population
- 1,133,228Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 |
| 32San Francisco County, CA | 60 | 40 | 1.1 | $6M | −5.6% | #451 of 1,451 |
Other business types in San Francisco 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 care57
- Auto repair shops51
- Collision repair and body shops41
- Car washes and detailing60
- Tire shops60
- Oil change and quick lube60
- Gas stations60
- Insurance agencies20
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 San Francisco County, CA?
There are 40 car washes and detailers on map listings in San Francisco County as of September 2026. 3 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in San Francisco County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $238.3M a year, or $655 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $6M 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 363,970 households in San Francisco County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Francisco County, CA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
San Francisco County has 1.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 71% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $6M, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, San Francisco County would have about 95, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 24,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is San Francisco County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Francisco County at 826,079 people in 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 363,970 households. Median household income in San Francisco County is $140,970, 75% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. San Francisco County scores 60 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #451 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Francisco 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 San Francisco County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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.