Auto · County · Kentucky
Car washes and detailers in Mercer County, KY
How Mercer 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #994 of 1,451 scored counties
#19 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $8.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $943 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 42% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,733
- +4.8% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Mercer County comes to about $8.7M a year: $943 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 5 car washes and detailers, that is $1.7M per location, 31% 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 5 car washes and detailers on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 5.4 for every 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for car washes in Mercer County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, Mercer County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #994 of 1,451 scored counties and #19 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 8,100 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.8% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $943 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $64,824 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 42 |
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
- 50 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,733+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 9,181
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 249 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $64,824+17.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,091
- Median home value
- $202,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,702
- Daytime population
- 19,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
| 19Mercer County, KY | 40 | 5 | 5.4 | $1.7M | +4.8% | #994 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 Mercer County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 car washes and detailers in Mercer County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Mercer County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Mercer County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.7M a year, or $943 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 9,181 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, KY compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Mercer 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 $1.7M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Mercer County would have about 3, against 5 on map listings.
How fast is Mercer County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 23,733 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,181 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $64,824 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.7% 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. Mercer County scores 40 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #994 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.