Auto · County · Maryland
Car washes and detailers in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #62 of 1,451 scored counties
#2 of 22 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 25
- 4 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $126.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,043 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5M
- Twice the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.1
- 45% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
For car washes and detailers, Howard County has a Groundwork market score of 79 (high): #62 of 1,451 scored counties and #2 of 22 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.
At $1,043 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $126.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $5M of household spending for each location on map listings, twice the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Howard County has 25 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 16%, against 23% across the U.S. That is 2.1 per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Howard County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 10,089 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5M | $3M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 10,089 | 8,205 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,043 | $908 | $958 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 252
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 254 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| 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 |
Other business types in Howard 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 care75
- Auto repair shops73
- Collision repair and body shops69
- Car washes and detailing79
- Tire shops80
- Oil change and quick lube68
- Gas stations82
- Insurance agencies53
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 Howard County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 25 car washes and detailers in Howard County. 4 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $126.2M a year, or $1,043 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $5M 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 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Howard County has 2.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $5M, twice the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Howard County would have about 50, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,089 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 79 for car washes and detailers (high), #62 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.