Auto · County · Indiana
Car washes and detailers in Elkhart County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Elkhart County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,179 of 1,451 scored counties
#47 of 49 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 49
- 6 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $75.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,044 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- 79% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,774
- +0.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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
The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Elkhart County is 32 (lower middle), #1,179 of 1,451 scored counties and #47 of 49 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Elkhart County spend about $75.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,044 per household, 9% above 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.
There are 49 car washes and detailers on map listings in Elkhart County as of September 2026. 6 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.8, 79% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 15 businesses with payroll in Elkhart County classed as car washes. That is one for every 4,821 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $273K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Elkhart County. Population estimates show Elkhart County grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Elkhart County compares
The same measures for Indiana 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 | Elkhart County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,821 | 6,513 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.4% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,044 | $1,072 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,561 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 90
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 496 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 30The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $273K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,774+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 72,309
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 463 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 447
- Median household income
- $68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,471
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 133,676
- Daytime population
- 244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Elkhart County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, IN | 91 | 13 | 3.9 | $3.2M | +13.5% | #7 of 1,451 |
| 2Hamilton County, IN | 82 | 50 | 3.6 | $3.4M | +10.9% | #50 of 1,451 |
| 3Morgan County, IN | 74 | 14 | 5.0 | $2.5M | +4.4% | #147 of 1,451 |
| 4Allen County, IN | 72 | 52 | 3.3 | $3.1M | +4.2% | #180 of 1,451 |
| 5Whitley County, IN | 72 | 6 | 4.3 | $2.8M | +2.1% | #185 of 1,451 |
| 6Johnson County, IN | 72 | 32 | 5.1 | $2.3M | +7.4% | #194 of 1,451 |
| 7Shelby County, IN | 71 | 6 | 3.3 | $3.5M | +1.8% | #200 of 1,451 |
| 8Clark County, IN | 71 | 20 | 3.9 | $2.7M | +7.5% | #214 of 1,451 |
| 9Boone County, IN | 71 | 13 | 4.5 | $2.7M | +13.5% | #215 of 1,451 |
| 10Hendricks County, IN | 70 | 27 | 4.0 | $3M | +10.2% | #237 of 1,451 |
| 47Elkhart County, IN | 32 | 49 | 6.8 | $1.5M | +0.9% | #1,179 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Elkhart 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 care24
- Auto repair shops27
- Collision repair and body shops33
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops42
- Oil change and quick lube55
- Gas stations34
- Insurance agencies42
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 Elkhart County, IN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 49 car washes and detailers in Elkhart County. 6 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $75.5M a year, or $1,044 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 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 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Elkhart County has 6.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 79% 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, Elkhart County would have about 30, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,821 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 32 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,179 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.