Auto · County · Iowa
Car washes and detailers in O’Brien County, IA
The car washes and detailers in O’Brien County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,108 of 1,451 scored counties
#22 of 32 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 8
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $7.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,225 a household
- Spending per listing
- $890K
- 65% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.8
- 3.6 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,220
- +0.5% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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
O’Brien County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,108 of 1,451 scored counties and #22 of 32 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 car washes and detailers in O’Brien County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 13.8 for every 10,000 households, 3.6 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in O’Brien County spend about $7.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,225 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $890K per location, 65% 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 O’Brien County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of O’Brien County grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How O’Brien 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 | O’Brien County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.8 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $890K | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 4,357 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,225 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,356 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 34 |
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
- 80 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,220+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 5,809
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $68,356+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,439
- Median home value
- $173,100
- Jobs located here
- 6,296
- Daytime population
- 12,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 |
| 22O’Brien County, IA | 35 | 8 | 13.8 | $890K | +0.5% | #1,108 of 1,451 |
Other business types in O’Brien County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 O’Brien County, IA?
There are 8 car washes and detailers on map listings in O’Brien County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in O’Brien County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in O’Brien County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $7.1M a year, or $1,225 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $890K 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 5,809 households in O’Brien County and national spending patterns by income.
How does O’Brien County, IA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
O’Brien County has 13.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3.6 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $890K, 65% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, O’Brien County would have about 3, against 8 on map listings.
How fast is O’Brien County, IA growing?
Population estimates put O’Brien County at 14,220 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,809 households. Median household income in O’Brien County is $68,356, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. O’Brien County scores 35 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,108 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
Screening a site or an acquisition in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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.