Auto · County · California
Car washes and detailers in San Luis Obispo County, CA
How San Luis Obispo 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #254 of 1,451 scored counties
#23 of 45 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 44
- 6 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $131.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,197 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 44 car washes and detailers in San Luis Obispo County. 6 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 4.0 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in San Luis Obispo County spend about $131.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,197 per household, 25% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per location, 18% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in San Luis Obispo County was 16 in 2023. That is one for every 6,844 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $670K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in San Luis Obispo County.
Population estimates show San Luis Obispo County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Luis Obispo County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #254 of 1,451 scored counties and #23 of 45 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,844 | 6,073 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,197 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 144
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 446 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $670K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 |
| 23San Luis Obispo County, CA | 69 | 44 | 4.0 | $3M | 0.0% | #254 of 1,451 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo 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 care63
- Auto repair shops61
- Collision repair and body shops63
- Car washes and detailing69
- Tire shops69
- Oil change and quick lube56
- Gas stations72
- Insurance agencies45
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 Luis Obispo County, CA?
There are 44 car washes and detailers on map listings in San Luis Obispo County as of September 2026. 6 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in San Luis Obispo County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $131.1M a year, or $1,197 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
San Luis Obispo County has 4.0 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 52, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,844 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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 Luis Obispo County scores 69 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #254 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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.