Auto · County · Michigan
Car washes and detailers in Alpena County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Alpena County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,366 of 1,451 scored counties
#55 of 55 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 9
- 2 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $12M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 47% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 82% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,853
- −0.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Alpena 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 Alpena 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
Alpena County scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,366 of 1,451 scored counties and #55 of 55 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Alpena County comes to about $12M a year: $920 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 9 car washes and detailers, that is $1.3M per location, 47% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Alpena County has 9 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.9, 82% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Alpena County classed as car washes. That is one for every 4,340 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Alpena County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Alpena County compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Alpena County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,340 | 6,102 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $920 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $53,950 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 29
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $746K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 92 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Alpena 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 Alpena County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,853−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 13,019
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,418
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,363
- Daytime population
- 29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alpena 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 Alpena 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alpena County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clinton County, MI | 82 | 11 | 3.5 | $3.5M | +1.6% | #49 of 1,451 |
| 2Livingston County, MI | 75 | 28 | 3.7 | $3.4M | +1.7% | #123 of 1,451 |
| 3Shiawassee County, MI | 71 | 10 | 3.6 | $3.1M | −0.4% | #204 of 1,451 |
| 4Hillsdale County, MI | 70 | 5 | 2.8 | $3.9M | 0.0% | #225 of 1,451 |
| 5Lapeer County, MI | 70 | 12 | 3.4 | $3.4M | +1.0% | #231 of 1,451 |
| 6Van Buren County, MI | 69 | 10 | 3.3 | $3.3M | +0.7% | #251 of 1,451 |
| 7Washtenaw County, MI | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #274 of 1,451 |
| 8Eaton County, MI | 68 | 17 | 3.7 | $2.9M | +0.4% | #282 of 1,451 |
| 9Allegan County, MI | 68 | 22 | 4.8 | $2.5M | +2.1% | #290 of 1,451 |
| 10Ionia County, MI | 67 | 9 | 3.9 | $2.9M | −0.5% | #300 of 1,451 |
| 55Alpena County, MI | 20 | 9 | 6.9 | $1.3M | −0.1% | #1,366 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Alpena 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 care15
- Auto repair shops15
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing20
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations25
- 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 Alpena County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 9 car washes and detailers in Alpena County. 2 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Alpena County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $12M a year, or $920 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 13,019 households in Alpena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alpena County, MI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Alpena County has 6.9 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 82% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.3M, 47% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Alpena County would have about 5, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,340 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Alpena County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Alpena County at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in Alpena County is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Alpena County scores 20 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,366 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alpena 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 Alpena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alpena 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 Alpena 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.