Auto · County · Illinois
Car washes and detailers in Stephenson County, IL
How Stephenson 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 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,344 of 1,451 scored counties
#50 of 54 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 12
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $957 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.2
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 43,220
- −3.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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
Stephenson County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,344 of 1,451 scored counties and #50 of 54 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Stephenson County spend about $18.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $957 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each location on map listings, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Stephenson County has 12 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 6.2 for every 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Stephenson County in 2023. That is one for every 4,840 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $278K have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Stephenson County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stephenson County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Stephenson 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 | Stephenson County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,840 | 6,432 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.6% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $957 | $975 | $958 |
| Median household income | $64,043 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 20
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $300K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 121 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $278K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 43,220−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,358
- Median age
- 45.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 78
- Median household income
- $64,043+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,920
- Median home value
- $134,900
- Jobs located here
- 17,326
- Daytime population
- 40,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 |
| 50Stephenson County, IL | 22 | 12 | 6.2 | $1.5M | −3.0% | #1,344 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Stephenson 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 care22
- Auto repair shops18
- Collision repair and body shops21
- Car washes and detailing22
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations34
- Insurance agencies7
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 Stephenson County, IL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 car washes and detailers in Stephenson County. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Stephenson County, IL spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $18.5M a year, or $957 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 19,358 households in Stephenson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stephenson County, IL compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Stephenson County has 6.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Stephenson County would have about 7, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,840 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Stephenson County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Stephenson County at 43,220 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,358 households. The median household income in Stephenson County is $64,043 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Stephenson County scores 22 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,344 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.