Auto · County · Kentucky
Car washes and detailers in Jefferson County, KY
How Jefferson County, KY 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,120 of 1,451 scored counties
#24 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 150
- 42 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 51
- +27.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $264.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $798 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 795,222
- +1.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
Jefferson County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,120 of 1,451 scored counties and #24 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 150 car washes and detailers in Jefferson County. Of those, 42 are chain locations, or 28%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 18% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Jefferson County comes to about $264.7M a year: $798 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per location, 30% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Jefferson County was 51 in 2023, up 27.5% from 2019. That is one for every 6,501 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $6.1M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Jefferson County. Population estimates put the population change in Jefferson County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Jefferson County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Jefferson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,501 | 8,100 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.5% | +2.8% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $798 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $69,866 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 51+27.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 499
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15042 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 105The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $6.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 795,222+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 331,554
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 381 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,056
- Median household income
- $69,866+23.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,869
- Median home value
- $248,400
- Jobs located here
- 503,996
- Daytime population
- 914,843Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Jefferson County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 77 | 10 | 4.3 | $2.7M | +4.9% | #101 of 1,451 |
| 2Jessamine County, KY | 73 | 5 | 2.5 | $3.7M | +7.8% | #156 of 1,451 |
| 3Boone County, KY | 70 | 15 | 2.9 | $3.4M | +6.5% | #232 of 1,451 |
| 4Bullitt County, KY | 69 | 12 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +5.0% | #260 of 1,451 |
| 5Shelby County, KY | 68 | 7 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +6.2% | #283 of 1,451 |
| 6Kenton County, KY | 61 | 17 | 2.5 | $3.6M | +3.9% | #428 of 1,451 |
| 7Scott County, KY | 59 | 10 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +8.2% | #499 of 1,451 |
| 8Campbell County, KY | 58 | 15 | 3.8 | $2.3M | +2.5% | #522 of 1,451 |
| 9Madison County, KY | 56 | 15 | 4.0 | $2.3M | +9.4% | #575 of 1,451 |
| 10Nelson County, KY | 55 | 9 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +4.8% | #605 of 1,451 |
| 24Jefferson County, KY | 34 | 150 | 4.5 | $1.8M | +1.6% | #1,120 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Jefferson 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 shops42
- Collision repair and body shops54
- Car washes and detailing34
- Tire shops43
- Oil change and quick lube23
- Gas stations67
- Insurance agencies36
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 Jefferson County, KY?
There are 150 car washes and detailers on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. 42 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 27.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Jefferson County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $264.7M a year, or $798 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 150 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 331,554 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, KY compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Jefferson County has 4.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.8M, 30% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 105, against 150 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,501 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 795,222 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 331,554 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $69,866, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.5%, 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. Jefferson County scores 34 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,120 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.