Auto · County · Connecticut
Car washes and detailers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 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 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,006 of 1,451 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 92
- 30 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $193M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $837 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 578,741
- +2.5% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region comes to about $193M a year: $837 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 92 car washes and detailers, that is $2.1M per location, 17% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 92 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (33%) 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.
Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region in 2023. That is one for every 5,243 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $671K have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Population estimates show the South Central Connecticut Planning Region grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is 39 (lower middle), #1,006 of 1,451 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.3M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,243 | 6,578 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $837 | $902 | $958 |
| Median household income | $88,197 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44
- Employees, 2023
- 302
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9230 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 77The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $671K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 578,741+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 230,673
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 367 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,554
- Median household income
- $88,197
- Average household income
- $121,518
- Median home value
- $353,100
- Jobs located here
- 298,580
- Daytime population
- 597,614Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the South Central Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 66 | 14 | 3.6 | $2.9M | +3.0% | #319 of 1,451 |
| 2Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 64 | 37 | 3.2 | $2.8M | +2.0% | #366 of 1,451 |
| 3Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 63 | 16 | 3.3 | $2.9M | +2.2% | #388 of 1,451 |
| 4Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 62 | 29 | 3.9 | $2.5M | +2.3% | #417 of 1,451 |
| 5Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 61 | 38 | 3.2 | $2.8M | +4.1% | #437 of 1,451 |
| 6Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 56 | 88 | 3.7 | $2.7M | +3.5% | #565 of 1,451 |
| 7Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 53 | 73 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +3.2% | #659 of 1,451 |
| 8Capitol Planning Region, CT | 43 | 185 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +3.1% | #917 of 1,451 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 39 | 92 | 4.0 | $2.1M | +2.5% | #1,006 of 1,451 |
Other business types in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 care42
- Auto repair shops41
- Collision repair and body shops39
- Car washes and detailing39
- Tire shops58
- Oil change and quick lube61
- Gas stations46
- Insurance agencies37
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 92 car washes and detailers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 30 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $193M a year, or $837 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 92 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 230,673 households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 4.0 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.1M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the South Central Connecticut Planning Region would have about 77, against 92 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,243 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the South Central Connecticut Planning Region at 578,741 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 230,673 households. The median household income in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is $88,197 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 39 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,006 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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.