Groundwork

Auto · County · Illinois

Car washes and detailers in McDonough County, IL

How McDonough County, IL 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 13 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,410 of 1,451 scored counties
#54 of 54 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
8
4 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$10.8M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $915 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
46% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.7
76% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,916
−4.5% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in McDonough 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 McDonough County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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, McDonough County has a Groundwork market score of 13 (low): #1,410 of 1,451 scored counties and #54 of 54 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 8 car washes and detailers in McDonough County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 50%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in McDonough County comes to about $10.8M a year: $915 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each location on map listings, 46% 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 McDonough County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in McDonough County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How McDonough 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.

Car washes and detailing in McDonough County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureMcDonough CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.73.63.8
Spending per listing$1.4M$2.7M$2.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a6,4326,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.6%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$915$975$958
Median household income$52,795$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score1346

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
84 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The 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 McDonough 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 McDonough County

Population, 2025 estimate
25,916−4.5% since 2020
Households
11,856
Median age
38.4
Homes lived in by their owners
63%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
589 sq. mi.
People per square mile
46
Median household income
$52,795+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,521
Median home value
$107,500
Jobs located here
9,784
Daytime population
25,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in McDonough 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 McDonough County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Car 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 McDonough County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Will County, IL79943.8$3.3M+2.2%#66 of 1,451
2Kendall County, IL79194.2$3.1M+9.9%#68 of 1,451
3Boone County, IL7763.1$3.9M+0.4%#91 of 1,451
4Lake County, IL74722.8$4.3M+0.8%#134 of 1,451
5Monroe County, IL6353.6$3.5M−0.3%#381 of 1,451
6DuPage County, IL631273.6$3.1M+0.3%#385 of 1,451
7Winnebago County, IL62403.4$2.8M−0.4%#410 of 1,451
8Macoupin County, IL6174.0$2.9M−2.6%#436 of 1,451
9Woodford County, IL6064.1$3M−0.8%#456 of 1,451
10McHenry County, IL58605.1$2.4M+2.5%#521 of 1,451
54McDonough County, IL1386.7$1.4M−4.5%#1,410 of 1,451

Other business types in McDonough County

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

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in McDonough County, IL?

McDonough County has 8 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in McDonough County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in McDonough County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $10.8M a year, or $915 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 11,856 households in McDonough County and national spending patterns by income.

How does McDonough County, IL compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

McDonough County has 6.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.4M, 46% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, McDonough County would have about 4, against 8 on map listings.

How fast is McDonough County, IL growing?

Population estimates put McDonough County at 25,916 people in 2025, down 4.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,856 households. Median household income in McDonough County is $52,795, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.7%, 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. McDonough County scores 13 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,410 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDonough 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 McDonough County

Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonough 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 McDonough 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.