Auto · County · Kentucky
Car washes and detailers in Pulaski County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Pulaski County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,132 of 1,451 scored counties
#25 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 16
- 3 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $915 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 61% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,384
- +3.5% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski County is 34 (lower middle), #1,132 of 1,451 scored counties and #25 of 39 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 car washes and detailers in Pulaski County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 19%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.1, 61% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $915 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Pulaski County spend about $24M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each location on map listings, 41% 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 5 businesses with payroll in Pulaski County classed as car washes. That is one for every 5,242 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $640K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Pulaski County. Population estimates show Pulaski County grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Pulaski 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 | Pulaski County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,242 | 8,100 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.8% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $915 | $889 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,898 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $685K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 163 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $640K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,384+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 26,210
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 658 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 100
- Median household income
- $51,898+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,241
- Median home value
- $166,900
- Jobs located here
- 25,101
- Daytime population
- 66,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 |
| 25Pulaski County, KY | 34 | 16 | 6.1 | $1.5M | +3.5% | #1,132 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Pulaski 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 care44
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops59
- Car washes and detailing34
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations42
- Insurance agencies57
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 Pulaski County, KY?
There are 16 car washes and detailers on map listings in Pulaski County as of September 2026. 3 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Pulaski County, KY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $24M a year, or $915 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 26,210 households in Pulaski County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pulaski County, KY compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Pulaski County has 6.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 61% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Pulaski County would have about 10, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,242 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Pulaski County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Pulaski County at 67,384 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,210 households. Median household income in Pulaski County is $51,898, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Pulaski County scores 34 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,132 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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.