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Car washes and detailers in Manistee County, MI

How Manistee 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #788 of 1,451 scored counties
#25 of 55 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
6
2 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$11.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,087 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
24% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
50% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,656
+2.3% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in Manistee 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 Manistee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 6 car washes and detailers in Manistee County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 33%, against 23% across the U.S. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

At $1,087 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Manistee County spend about $11.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $1.9M of household spending for each location on map listings, 24% 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.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Manistee County: counts under 3 aren’t published.

Population estimates show Manistee County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Manistee County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #788 of 1,451 scored counties and #25 of 55 scored counties in Michigan.

How Manistee 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.

Car washes and detailing in Manistee County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureManistee CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.74.63.8
Spending per listing$1.9M$2.2M$2.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a6,1026,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+13.2%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,087$1,022$958
Median household income$63,516$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score4831

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
62 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 Manistee 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 Manistee County

Population, 2025 estimate
25,656+2.3% since 2020
Households
10,561
Median age
49.7
Homes lived in by their owners
86%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
542 sq. mi.
People per square mile
47
Median household income
$63,516+26.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,176
Median home value
$182,200
Jobs located here
6,248
Daytime population
23,225Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Manistee 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 Manistee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Car 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 Manistee County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Clinton County, MI82113.5$3.5M+1.6%#49 of 1,451
2Livingston County, MI75283.7$3.4M+1.7%#123 of 1,451
3Shiawassee County, MI71103.6$3.1M−0.4%#204 of 1,451
4Hillsdale County, MI7052.8$3.9M0.0%#225 of 1,451
5Lapeer County, MI70123.4$3.4M+1.0%#231 of 1,451
6Van Buren County, MI69103.3$3.3M+0.7%#251 of 1,451
7Washtenaw County, MI68453.0$3.4M−0.4%#274 of 1,451
8Eaton County, MI68173.7$2.9M+0.4%#282 of 1,451
9Allegan County, MI68224.8$2.5M+2.1%#290 of 1,451
10Ionia County, MI6793.9$2.9M−0.5%#300 of 1,451
25Manistee County, MI4865.7$1.9M+2.3%#788 of 1,451

Other business types in Manistee County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Manistee County, MI?

Manistee County has 6 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Manistee County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Manistee County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $11.5M a year, or $1,087 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 10,561 households in Manistee County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Manistee County, MI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

Manistee County has 5.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.9M, 24% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Manistee County would have about 5, against 6 on map listings.

How fast is Manistee County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Manistee County at 25,656 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,561 households. Median household income in Manistee County is $63,516, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.9%, 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. Manistee County scores 48 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #788 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Manistee 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 Manistee County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Manistee 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 Manistee 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.