Auto · County · Iowa
Car washes and detailers in Des Moines County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Des Moines County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #843 of 1,451 scored counties
#10 of 32 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 6
- 4 chain locations (67%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,063 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.5
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,077
- −2.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 car washes and detailers in Des Moines County. 4 of them (67%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.5 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $1,063 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Des Moines County spend about $18.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3M per location, 21% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Des Moines County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 2,863 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Des Moines County declined 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Des Moines County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #843 of 1,451 scored counties and #10 of 32 scored counties in Iowa.
How Des Moines County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Des Moines County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.5 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,863 | 4,357 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,063 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,928 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 32
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $814K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 64 chain locations
- 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,077−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 17,178
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 416 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $62,928+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,523
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 19,578
- Daytime population
- 39,488Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Des Moines County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 96 | 5 | 2.4 | $5.2M | +9.0% | #1 of 1,451 |
| 2Marion County, IA | 60 | 8 | 6.0 | $2.1M | +2.3% | #474 of 1,451 |
| 3Story County, IA | 59 | 15 | 3.9 | $2.8M | +2.7% | #481 of 1,451 |
| 4Johnson County, IA | 59 | 30 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +4.6% | #501 of 1,451 |
| 5Dallas County, IA | 59 | 27 | 6.4 | $1.9M | +17.8% | #505 of 1,451 |
| 6Jasper County, IA | 58 | 5 | 3.3 | $3.6M | +0.9% | #507 of 1,451 |
| 7Sioux County, IA | 51 | 7 | 5.5 | $2.4M | +2.5% | #700 of 1,451 |
| 8Clinton County, IA | 51 | 10 | 5.1 | $2.2M | −0.9% | #707 of 1,451 |
| 9Polk County, IA | 48 | 112 | 5.5 | $2M | +4.8% | #785 of 1,451 |
| 10Des Moines County, IA | 45 | 6 | 3.5 | $3M | −2.0% | #843 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Des Moines 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 care39
- Auto repair shops32
- Collision repair and body shops27
- Car washes and detailing45
- Tire shops51
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations37
- Insurance agencies14
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 Des Moines County, IA?
There are 6 car washes and detailers on map listings in Des Moines County as of September 2026. 4 of them (67%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Des Moines County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $18.3M a year, or $1,063 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 $3M 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 17,178 households in Des Moines County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Des Moines County, IA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Des Moines County has 3.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Des Moines County would have about 7, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,863 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Des Moines County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Des Moines County at 38,077 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,178 households. Median household income in Des Moines County is $62,928, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Des Moines County scores 45 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #843 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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.