Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Car washes and detailers in the District of Columbia

Markets across the District of Columbia ranked by the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
29
4 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$146.4M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs
Listings per 10k households
0.9
76% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$5M
Twice the U.S.
Rank among states
#4 of 51
Market score 73 · Upper middle

A site report maps the car washes and detailers on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 29 car washes and detailers in the District of Columbia. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 0.9 for every 10,000 households, 76% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Households in the District of Columbia spend about $146.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $451 per household, 53% below the U.S. average. That is about $5M of household spending for each location on map listings, twice 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in the District of Columbia classed as car washes. That is one for every 36,055 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #4 for car washes and detailers, with a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 73.

Every market in the District of Columbia for car washes and detailers

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV735522.3$3.9M+3.3%#31 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored290.9$5M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in the District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia has 29 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $146.4M a year, or $451 per household. That is 53% below the U.S. average (an index of 47, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

The District of Columbia has 0.9 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 76% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $5M, twice the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 58, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 36,055 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for car washes and detailers?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 73 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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 District of Columbia scores 73 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #4 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the District of Columbia. 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.

Car washes and detailing in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for car washes and detailers across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.