Auto · Metro area · Michigan
Car washes and detailers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area
The car washes and detailers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #243 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 237
- 67 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 80
- +14.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $483.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,097 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 42% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,183,645
- +2.8% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area
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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area. 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 237 car washes and detailers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area. Of those, 67 are chain locations, or 28%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 5.4 for every 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area spend about $483.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,097 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 237 car washes and detailers, that is $2M per location, 19% below 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.
Official counts show 80 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area in 2023, up 14.5% from 2019. That is one for every 5,504 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area is 45 (lower middle), #243 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan.
How the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area 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 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,504 | 6,102 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.5% | +13.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,097 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $82,874 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 80+14.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 895
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23767 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 192The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area, 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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,183,645+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 440,316
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,243 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 358
- Median household income
- $82,874
- Average household income
- $107,922
- Median home value
- $285,300
- Jobs located here
- 566,419
- Daytime population
- 1,215,585Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area. 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 metro areas in Michigan for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ann Arbor, MI | 68 | 45 | 3.0 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #55 of 387 |
| 2Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 63 | 70 | 3.6 | $2.8M | +1.4% | #99 of 387 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 61 | 42 | 3.3 | $3.1M | +0.1% | #114 of 387 |
| 3Bay City, MI | 55 | 15 | 3.3 | $3M | −1.6% | #163 of 387 |
| 4Monroe, MI | 55 | 33 | 5.2 | $2.1M | +0.7% | #167 of 387 |
| 5Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 54 | 32 | 4.7 | $2.1M | +1.8% | #172 of 387 |
| 6Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 45 | 237 | 5.4 | $2M | +2.8% | #243 of 387 |
| 7Traverse City, MI | 43 | 32 | 4.9 | $2.3M | +2.2% | #251 of 387 |
| 8Niles, MI | 40 | 35 | 5.5 | $1.8M | −1.3% | #276 of 387 |
| 9Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 39 | 800 | 4.5 | $2.2M | +0.1% | #278 of 387 |
Other business types in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area
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 care53
- Auto repair shops57
- Collision repair and body shops50
- Car washes and detailing45
- Tire shops75
- Oil change and quick lube35
- Gas stations60
- Insurance agencies26
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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area?
The Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area has 237 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 80 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 14.5% from 2019.
How much do households in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $483.1M a year, or $1,097 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 237 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 440,316 households in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area has 5.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area would have about 192, against 237 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,504 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area at 1,183,645 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 440,316 households. Median household income in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area is $82,874, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area scores 45 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #243 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area. 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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area?
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 the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro area. 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.