Auto · County · Michigan
Car washes and detailers in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #559 of 1,451 scored counties
#16 of 55 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 15
- 8 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $45M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $998 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.3
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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 15 car washes and detailers in Bay County. Chain locations make up 53% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.3 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Bay County comes to about $45M a year: $998 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per location, 19% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Bay County classed as car washes. That is one for every 6,443 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Bay County declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Bay County has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #559 of 1,451 scored counties and #16 of 55 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay 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 | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.3 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,443 | 6,102 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $998 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 158 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay 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 |
| 16Bay County, MI | 56 | 15 | 3.3 | $3M | −1.6% | #559 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Bay 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 care45
- Auto repair shops46
- Collision repair and body shops51
- Car washes and detailing56
- Tire shops53
- Oil change and quick lube26
- Gas stations46
- Insurance agencies31
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 Bay County, MI?
Bay County has 15 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $45M a year, or $998 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 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 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Bay County has 3.3 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Bay County would have about 18, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,443 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 56 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #559 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.