Auto · Metro area · Kansas
Car washes and detailers in the Lawrence, KS metro area
How the Lawrence, KS metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #69 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 4 scored metro areas based in Kansas
- Listings
- 19
- 5 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $52.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,035 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 120,920
- +1.8% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Lawrence metro area
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 the Lawrence metro area. 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
At $1,035 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in the Lawrence metro area spend about $52.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $2.7M per location, 9% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 19 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Lawrence metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Lawrence metro area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 8,401 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Lawrence metro area grew 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lawrence metro area scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #69 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 4 scored metro areas based in Kansas. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Lawrence metro area compares
The same measures for Kansas 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 | Lawrence metro area | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 8,401 | 5,618 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +30.6% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,035 | $1,140 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,746 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 68
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 195 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 the Lawrence metro area, 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 the Lawrence metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 120,920+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 50,406
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 456 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 264
- Median household income
- $69,746+17.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,109
- Median home value
- $309,400
- Jobs located here
- 51,342
- Daytime population
- 115,968Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lawrence metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Lawrence metro area. 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 Kansas
Every Kansas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Kansas for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Kansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Lawrence metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lawrence, KS | 67 | 19 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +1.8% | #69 of 387 |
| 2Topeka, KS | 64 | 30 | 3.1 | $3.5M | +0.1% | #85 of 387 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 64 | 367 | 4.1 | $2.7M | +3.4% | #89 of 387 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 61 | 18 | 3.8 | $2.8M | −2.0% | #116 of 387 |
| 3Wichita, KS | 60 | 108 | 4.2 | $2.6M | +2.4% | #122 of 387 |
| 4Manhattan, KS | 49 | 22 | 4.3 | $2.5M | +1.4% | #197 of 387 |
| Joplin, MO-KS | 37 | 48 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +3.9% | #302 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lawrence metro area
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 care78
- Auto repair shops78
- Collision repair and body shops78
- Car washes and detailing67
- Tire shops71
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations68
- Insurance agencies38
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 the Lawrence, KS metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 car washes and detailers in the Lawrence metro area. 5 of them (26%) 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 the Lawrence, KS metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $52.2M a year, or $1,035 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 50,406 households in the Lawrence metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lawrence, KS metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Lawrence metro area has 3.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.7M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Lawrence metro area would have about 21, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,401 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Lawrence, KS metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lawrence metro area at 120,920 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 50,406 households. The median household income in the Lawrence metro area is $69,746 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.4% 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. The Lawrence metro area scores 67 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #69 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lawrence metro area. 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 the Lawrence metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lawrence metro area?
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 the Lawrence metro area. 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.