Auto · County · Michigan
Car washes and detailers in St. Joseph County, MI
How St. Joseph 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,217 of 1,451 scored counties
#45 of 55 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 17
- 2 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,055 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.2
- 89% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 60,968
- +0.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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
For car washes and detailers, St. Joseph County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,217 of 1,451 scored counties and #45 of 55 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 17 car washes and detailers in St. Joseph County. 2 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 7.2 for every 10,000 households, 89% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in St. Joseph County comes to about $24.9M a year: $1,055 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per location, 42% 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 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in St. Joseph County in 2023. That is one for every 4,724 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Joseph County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How St. Joseph 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 | St. Joseph County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,724 | 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 | $1,055 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,425 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 31
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $819K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 172 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 60,968+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 23,620
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 501 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $66,425+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,433
- Median home value
- $178,300
- Jobs located here
- 19,267
- Daytime population
- 52,362Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 |
| 45St. Joseph County, MI | 30 | 17 | 7.2 | $1.5M | +0.1% | #1,217 of 1,451 |
Other business types in St. Joseph 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 care36
- Auto repair shops46
- Collision repair and body shops52
- Car washes and detailing30
- Tire shops67
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations43
- 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 St. Joseph County, MI?
St. Joseph County has 17 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in St. Joseph County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $24.9M a year, or $1,055 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 23,620 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Joseph County, MI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
St. Joseph County has 7.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 89% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 10, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,724 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is St. Joseph County, MI growing?
Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 60,968 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,620 households. Median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,425, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.5%, 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. St. Joseph County scores 30 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,217 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.