Market rankings · Maryland
Car washes and detailers in Maryland
Markets across Maryland ranked by the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 726
- 143 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 288
- +15.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.1B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.1
- 18% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #12 of 51
- Market score 61 · Upper middle
A site report maps the car washes and detailers on map listings around any address in Maryland by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
As of September 2026, map listings count 726 car washes and detailers in Maryland. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.1 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $908 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Maryland spend about $2.1B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 726 car washes and detailers, that is $3M per location, 17% above 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 Maryland was 288 in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 8,205 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 16.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $12.4M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Maryland.
Among the 50 states and DC, Maryland ranks #12 for car washes and detailers, with a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest (73). Of the 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Ocean Pines area scores highest (60).
Every market in Maryland for car washes and detailers
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maryland, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 73 | 552 | 2.3 | $3.9M | +3.3% | #31 of 387 |
| 1Lexington Park, MD | 68 | 32 | 4.2 | $2.8M | +2.1% | #58 of 387 |
| 2Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 66 | 51 | 4.3 | $2.2M | +7.1% | #75 of 387 |
| 3Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 55 | 337 | 3.0 | $2.9M | +0.4% | #164 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 50 | 775 | 3.1 | $2.6M | +1.4% | #189 of 387 |
| 4Salisbury, MD | 42 | 20 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +2.9% | #260 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ocean Pines, MD | 60 | 10 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +3.7% | #138 of 441 |
| 2Cumberland, MD-WV | 52 | 14 | 3.6 | $2.3M | −1.3% | #200 of 441 |
| 3Easton, MD | 42 | 9 | 5.5 | $1.7M | +2.0% | #291 of 441 |
| 4Cambridge, MD | 33 | 7 | 5.2 | $1.6M | +3.4% | #353 of 441 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Frederick County, MD | 87 | 31 | 3.0 | $3.6M | +11.0% | #21 of 1,451 |
| 2Howard County, MD | 79 | 25 | 2.1 | $5M | +1.9% | #62 of 1,451 |
| 3Carroll County, MD | 75 | 21 | 3.3 | $3.5M | +2.2% | #121 of 1,451 |
| 4Queen Anne’s County, MD | 74 | 9 | 4.5 | $2.5M | +8.8% | #148 of 1,451 |
| 5Cecil County, MD | 73 | 13 | 3.2 | $3.2M | +3.2% | #163 of 1,451 |
| 6Montgomery County, MD | 72 | 77 | 2.0 | $4.6M | +1.3% | #172 of 1,451 |
| 7Calvert County, MD | 71 | 15 | 4.5 | $2.8M | +1.7% | #211 of 1,451 |
| 8St. Mary’s County, MD | 69 | 17 | 4.0 | $2.7M | +2.4% | #259 of 1,451 |
| 9Prince George’s County, MD | 61 | 104 | 3.0 | $2.9M | +0.5% | #433 of 1,451 |
| 10Harford County, MD | 60 | 39 | 3.8 | $2.6M | +2.0% | #463 of 1,451 |
| 11Charles County, MD | 58 | 32 | 5.3 | $2.1M | +5.9% | #527 of 1,451 |
| 12Baltimore County, MD | 57 | 93 | 2.8 | $3M | −0.7% | #535 of 1,451 |
| 13Worcester County, MD | 52 | 10 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +3.7% | #685 of 1,451 |
| 14Anne Arundel County, MD | 50 | 87 | 3.9 | $2.6M | +1.7% | #717 of 1,451 |
| 15Washington County, MD | 47 | 32 | 5.3 | $1.7M | +2.0% | #815 of 1,451 |
| 16Caroline County, MD | 43 | 6 | 4.8 | $2M | +2.5% | #910 of 1,451 |
| 17Baltimore city, MD | 42 | 63 | 2.5 | $2.2M | −2.3% | #932 of 1,451 |
| 18Wicomico County, MD | 40 | 19 | 4.7 | $2M | +3.2% | #985 of 1,451 |
| 19Talbot County, MD | 34 | 9 | 5.5 | $1.7M | +2.0% | #1,125 of 1,451 |
| 20Allegany County, MD | 33 | 9 | 3.3 | $2.5M | −1.6% | #1,136 of 1,451 |
| 21Dorchester County, MD | 28 | 7 | 5.2 | $1.6M | +3.4% | #1,254 of 1,451 |
| 22Garrett County, MD | 27 | 6 | 4.8 | $1.9M | −1.5% | #1,261 of 1,451 |
| Somerset County, MD | Not scored | 1 | 1.2 | $7.3M | +1.7% | |
| Kent County, MD | Not scored | 1 | 1.2 | $7.7M | +2.3% |
Markets with fewer than 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many car washes and detailers are in Maryland?
Maryland has 726 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 143 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 288 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019.
How much do households in Maryland spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $2.1B a year, or $908 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 726 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3M 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 2,362,928 households in Maryland and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maryland compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Maryland has 3.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Maryland would have about 852, against 726 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,205 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Maryland has the highest market score for car washes and detailers?
Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest, at 73 (upper middle). Among 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Ocean Pines area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 22 scored counties in Maryland, Frederick County scores highest, at 87 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Maryland scores 61 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #12 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maryland. 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.
Car washes and detailing in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for car washes and detailers across the U.S. · All business types in Maryland
Related business types in Maryland
- Auto repair and car care7,452 listings
- Auto repair shops4,769 listings
- Collision repair and body shops698 listings
- Tire shops709 listings
- Oil change and quick lube100 listings
- Gas stations1,801 listings
- Insurance agencies2,898 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maryland?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.