Auto · County · Massachusetts
Car washes and detailers in Essex County, MA
The car washes and detailers in Essex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #646 of 1,451 scored counties
#6 of 12 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 101
- 8 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- +3.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $274.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $877 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 101 car washes and detailers in Essex County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.2, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $877 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $274.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $2.7M per location, 8% 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 Essex County was 55 in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 5,694 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $648K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Essex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Essex County is 53 (upper middle), #646 of 1,451 scored counties and #6 of 12 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,694 | 6,259 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.8% | +10.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $877 | $841 | $958 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53 → 55+3.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1018 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 109The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $648K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 77 | 12 | 1.9 | $4.5M | +10.4% | #89 of 1,451 |
| 2Suffolk County, MA | 61 | 49 | 1.5 | $3.5M | +0.1% | #429 of 1,451 |
| 3Middlesex County, MA | 61 | 183 | 2.9 | $3M | +2.8% | #432 of 1,451 |
| 4Bristol County, MA | 59 | 76 | 3.3 | $2.7M | +2.9% | #485 of 1,451 |
| 5Barnstable County, MA | 55 | 32 | 3.0 | $3.1M | +2.4% | #584 of 1,451 |
| 6Essex County, MA | 53 | 101 | 3.2 | $2.7M | +2.3% | #646 of 1,451 |
| 7Franklin County, MA | 52 | 11 | 3.5 | $2.4M | −0.3% | #681 of 1,451 |
| 8Plymouth County, MA | 49 | 81 | 4.0 | $2.5M | +3.5% | #746 of 1,451 |
| 9Worcester County, MA | 49 | 129 | 3.8 | $2.4M | +3.7% | #747 of 1,451 |
| 10Norfolk County, MA | 47 | 105 | 3.7 | $2.4M | +2.2% | #798 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Essex 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 care48
- Auto repair shops41
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing53
- Tire shops69
- Oil change and quick lube64
- Gas stations64
- Insurance agencies48
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 Essex County, MA?
Essex County has 101 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 3.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $274.7M a year, or $877 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Essex County has 3.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.7M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Essex County would have about 109, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,694 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 53 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #646 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.