Auto · County · Illinois
Car washes and detailers in Ford County, IL
The car washes and detailers in Ford County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,359 of 1,451 scored counties
#51 of 54 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 6
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $6.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,062 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.3
- 2.7 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Ford 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 Ford 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
Ford County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,359 of 1,451 scored counties and #51 of 54 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 car washes and detailers in Ford County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 10.3 for every 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Ford County comes to about $6.2M a year: $1,062 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each location on map listings, 59% below 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Ford County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ford County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ford County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.3 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 6,432 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.6% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,062 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 60 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Ford 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 Ford 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Ford County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Will County, IL | 79 | 94 | 3.8 | $3.3M | +2.2% | #66 of 1,451 |
| 2Kendall County, IL | 79 | 19 | 4.2 | $3.1M | +9.9% | #68 of 1,451 |
| 3Boone County, IL | 77 | 6 | 3.1 | $3.9M | +0.4% | #91 of 1,451 |
| 4Lake County, IL | 74 | 72 | 2.8 | $4.3M | +0.8% | #134 of 1,451 |
| 5Monroe County, IL | 63 | 5 | 3.6 | $3.5M | −0.3% | #381 of 1,451 |
| 6DuPage County, IL | 63 | 127 | 3.6 | $3.1M | +0.3% | #385 of 1,451 |
| 7Winnebago County, IL | 62 | 40 | 3.4 | $2.8M | −0.4% | #410 of 1,451 |
| 8Macoupin County, IL | 61 | 7 | 4.0 | $2.9M | −2.6% | #436 of 1,451 |
| 9Woodford County, IL | 60 | 6 | 4.1 | $3M | −0.8% | #456 of 1,451 |
| 10McHenry County, IL | 58 | 60 | 5.1 | $2.4M | +2.5% | #521 of 1,451 |
| 51Ford County, IL | 21 | 6 | 10.3 | $1M | −2.2% | #1,359 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Ford 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 care20
- Auto repair shops20
- Collision repair and body shops15
- Car washes and detailing21
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations35
- Insurance agencies20
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 Ford County, IL?
Ford County has 6 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Ford County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $6.2M a year, or $1,062 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Ford County has 10.3 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1M, 59% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Ford County would have about 3, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 21 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,359 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.