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Auto · Metro area · District of Columbia

Car washes and detailers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area

How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #31 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia

Listings
552
134 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
263
+8.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.1B
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $902 a household
Spending per listing
$3.9M
54% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.3
39% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
6,465,724
+3.3% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #31 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for car washes and detailers.

Households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $2.1B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $902 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.9M of household spending for each location on map listings, 54% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.

There are 552 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area as of September 2026. 134 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.3, 39% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Official counts show 263 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 9,023 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $15.1M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares

The same measures for District of Columbia 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.

Car washes and detailing in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compared with District of Columbia and the U.S.
MeasureWashington-Arlington-Alexandria metro areaDistrict of ColumbiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.30.93.8
Spending per listing$3.9M$5M$2.5M
Households per official establishment9,02336,0556,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.5%n/a+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+3.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$902$451$958
Median household income$126,684$109,870$80,734
Groundwork market score7373

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
263+8.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,098
Annual payroll, 2023
$101.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
552134 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
850The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$15.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
Households
2,373,022
Median age
39.3
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
6,034 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,047
Median household income
$126,684
Average household income
$166,652
Median home value
$579,900
Jobs located here
3,140,160
Daytime population
6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Other business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 552 car washes and detailers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 134 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 263 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019.

How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $2.1B a year, or $902 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 552 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.9M 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 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 2.3 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.9M, 54% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 850, against 552 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,023 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.

How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 73 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #31 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?

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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.