Auto · County · Iowa
Car washes and detailers in Plymouth County, IA
How Plymouth County, IA 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,244 of 1,451 scored counties
#30 of 32 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,258 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 2.8 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,697
- 0.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County is 29 (lower middle), #1,244 of 1,451 scored counties and #30 of 32 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 car washes and detailers in Plymouth County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 10.7 for every 10,000 households, 2.8 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Plymouth County comes to about $13M a year: $1,258 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 53% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Plymouth County classed as car washes. That is one for every 3,438 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Population estimates show Plymouth County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Plymouth 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 | Plymouth County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,438 | 4,357 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,258 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $83,251 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 15
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $544K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,6970.0% since 2020
- Households
- 10,313
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 863 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 30
- Median household income
- $83,251+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,116
- Median home value
- $228,900
- Jobs located here
- 12,334
- Daytime population
- 23,763Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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 |
| 30Plymouth County, IA | 29 | 11 | 10.7 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #1,244 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Plymouth 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 care41
- Auto repair shops48
- Collision repair and body shops39
- Car washes and detailing29
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations63
- Insurance agencies22
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 Plymouth County, IA?
There are 11 car washes and detailers on map listings in Plymouth County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Plymouth County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $13M a year, or $1,258 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 10,313 households in Plymouth County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Plymouth County, IA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Plymouth County has 10.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 2.8 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.2M, 53% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Plymouth County would have about 5, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,438 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Plymouth County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Plymouth County at 25,697 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,313 households. Median household income in Plymouth County is $83,251, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.7%, 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. Plymouth County scores 29 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,244 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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.