Auto · County · Iowa
Car washes and detailers in Dubuque County, IA
The car washes and detailers in Dubuque County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,037 of 1,451 scored counties
#18 of 32 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 22
- 6 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $44.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,081 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 42% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,381
- +0.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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
Households in Dubuque County spend about $44.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,081 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 20% 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 22 car washes and detailers on map listings in Dubuque County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 42% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Dubuque County classed as car washes. That is one for every 4,099 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Dubuque County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dubuque County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,037 of 1,451 scored counties and #18 of 32 scored counties in Iowa.
How Dubuque 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 | Dubuque County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,099 | 4,357 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,081 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $77,630 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 198
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 226 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,381+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 40,989
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $77,630+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,177
- Median home value
- $237,300
- Jobs located here
- 58,941
- Daytime population
- 105,695Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 |
| 18Dubuque County, IA | 38 | 22 | 5.4 | $2M | +0.1% | #1,037 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Dubuque 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 care43
- Auto repair shops41
- Collision repair and body shops45
- Car washes and detailing38
- Tire shops61
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations47
- Insurance agencies19
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 Dubuque County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 22 car washes and detailers in Dubuque County. 6 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Dubuque County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $44.3M a year, or $1,081 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 40,989 households in Dubuque County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dubuque County, IA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Dubuque County has 5.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Dubuque County would have about 18, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,099 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Dubuque County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Dubuque County at 99,381 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,989 households. The median household income in Dubuque County is $77,630 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Dubuque County scores 38 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,037 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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.