Auto · County · Missouri
Car washes and detailers in Cole County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Cole County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,215 of 1,451 scored counties
#42 of 45 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 22
- 4 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $33.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,091 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 87% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,908
- +1.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Cole 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 Cole 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
Cole County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,215 of 1,451 scored counties and #42 of 45 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Cole County spend about $33.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,091 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per location, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Cole County has 22 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.1, 87% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Cole County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 3,109 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cole County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Cole County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Cole County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.5M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,109 | 6,706 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,091 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 89
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 224 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 Cole 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 Cole County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,908+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 31,086
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $74,876+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,025
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 56,757
- Daytime population
- 96,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cole 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 Cole 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Cole County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 94 | 8 | 3.5 | $3.6M | +11.4% | #3 of 1,451 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 92 | 5 | 3.6 | $3.6M | +9.2% | #6 of 1,451 |
| 3Jefferson County, MO | 86 | 30 | 3.4 | $3.5M | +2.7% | #28 of 1,451 |
| 4Christian County, MO | 85 | 12 | 3.4 | $3.5M | +8.3% | #37 of 1,451 |
| 5Platte County, MO | 85 | 18 | 4.1 | $2.9M | +6.7% | #38 of 1,451 |
| 6Cass County, MO | 82 | 20 | 4.6 | $2.7M | +7.1% | #51 of 1,451 |
| 7Johnson County, MO | 80 | 7 | 3.3 | $3.4M | +4.9% | #59 of 1,451 |
| 8Lawrence County, MO | 72 | 6 | 4.1 | $2.7M | +3.7% | #188 of 1,451 |
| 9Laclede County, MO | 71 | 5 | 3.4 | $3.1M | +2.5% | #205 of 1,451 |
| 10Franklin County, MO | 71 | 21 | 4.9 | $2.4M | +3.1% | #217 of 1,451 |
| 42Cole County, MO | 30 | 22 | 7.1 | $1.5M | +1.7% | #1,215 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Cole 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 care49
- Auto repair shops59
- Collision repair and body shops64
- Car washes and detailing30
- Tire shops51
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations53
- Insurance agencies18
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 Cole County, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 car washes and detailers in Cole County. 4 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Cole County, MO spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $33.9M a year, or $1,091 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 31,086 households in Cole County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cole County, MO compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Cole County has 7.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 87% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Cole County would have about 14, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,109 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Cole County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cole County at 77,908 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,086 households. The median household income in Cole County is $74,876 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Cole County scores 30 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,215 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cole 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 Cole County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cole 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 Cole 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.