Auto · County · Missouri
Car washes and detailers in St. Louis city, MO
The car washes and detailers in St. Louis city, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #741 of 1,451 scored counties
#26 of 45 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 38
- 5 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $101.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $701 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in St. Louis city
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. Louis city. 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
At $701 per household (27% below the U.S. average), households in St. Louis city spend about $101.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 38 car washes and detailers, that is $2.7M per location, 6% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
St. Louis city has 38 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.6, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in St. Louis city was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 14,489 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $326K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in St. Louis city.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis city declined 7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, St. Louis city has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #741 of 1,451 scored counties and #26 of 45 scored counties in Missouri.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.5M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 14,489 | 6,706 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +10.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $701 | $1,058 | $958 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 76
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 385 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $326K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in St. Louis city, 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. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 26St. Louis city, MO | 49 | 38 | 2.6 | $2.7M | −7.4% | #741 of 1,451 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
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 care43
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops43
- Car washes and detailing49
- Tire shops31
- Oil change and quick lube48
- Gas stations37
- Insurance agencies39
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. Louis city, MO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 car washes and detailers in St. Louis city. 5 of them (13%) 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 St. Louis city, MO spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $101.5M a year, or $701 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
St. Louis city has 2.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.7M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 40, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 14,489 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 49 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #741 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. Louis city. 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. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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. Louis city. 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.