Auto · County · California
Car washes and detailers in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #86 of 1,451 scored counties
#8 of 45 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 15
- 1 chain location (7%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $119.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,230 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.9M
- 3.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.5
- 61% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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
For car washes and detailers, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 77 (high): #86 of 1,451 scored counties and #8 of 45 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.
At $1,230 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $119.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $7.9M of household spending for each location on map listings, 3.2 times the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 15 car washes and detailers on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. One of them (7%) is a chain location, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.5 for every 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Santa Cruz County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 9,690 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Santa Cruz County. Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Santa Cruz 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.5 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.9M | $3.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,690 | 6,073 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,230 | $1,122 | $958 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 118
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 151 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 care62
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies43
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 Santa Cruz County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 car washes and detailers in Santa Cruz County. One of them (7%) is a chain location. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $119.2M a year, or $1,230 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $7.9M 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 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Santa Cruz County has 1.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $7.9M, 3.2 times the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 47, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,690 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 77 for car washes and detailers (high), #86 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.