Auto · County · Montana
Car washes and detailers in Flathead County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Flathead County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #757 of 1,451 scored counties
#7 of 7 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 25
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $50.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,152 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Flathead 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 Flathead 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 25 car washes and detailers in Flathead County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.7, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Flathead County spend about $50.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,152 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That is about $2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 18 businesses with payroll in Flathead County classed as car washes. That is one for every 2,457 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $5,000 has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Flathead County.
Population estimates show Flathead County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Flathead County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #757 of 1,451 scored counties and #7 of 7 scored counties in Montana.
How Flathead County compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Flathead County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,457 | 4,329 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +34.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,152 | $1,157 | $958 |
| Median household income | $73,925 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 78
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 250 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $5,000
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Flathead 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 Flathead County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 115,429+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 44,233
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 5,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $73,925+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,728
- Median home value
- $535,500
- Jobs located here
- 49,504
- Daytime population
- 110,772Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Montana, with Flathead County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yellowstone County, MT | 62 | 27 | 3.9 | $2.9M | +4.5% | #407 of 1,451 |
| 2Lewis and Clark County, MT | 62 | 12 | 3.8 | $2.9M | +5.8% | #409 of 1,451 |
| 3Silver Bow County, MT | 62 | 6 | 3.9 | $2.6M | +2.6% | #412 of 1,451 |
| 4Missoula County, MT | 61 | 19 | 3.6 | $2.9M | +4.4% | #434 of 1,451 |
| 5Gallatin County, MT | 57 | 26 | 5.1 | $2.4M | +7.7% | #543 of 1,451 |
| 6Cascade County, MT | 49 | 15 | 4.2 | $2.6M | +0.7% | #743 of 1,451 |
| 7Flathead County, MT | 49 | 25 | 5.7 | $2M | +10.1% | #757 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Flathead 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 care46
- Auto repair shops45
- Collision repair and body shops42
- Car washes and detailing49
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube47
- Gas stations62
- Insurance agencies48
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 Flathead County, MT?
Flathead County has 25 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Flathead County, MT spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $50.9M a year, or $1,152 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 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 44,233 households in Flathead County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Flathead County, MT compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Flathead 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 $2M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Flathead County would have about 20, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,457 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Flathead County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Flathead County at 115,429 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,233 households. Median household income in Flathead County is $73,925, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Flathead County scores 49 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #757 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Flathead 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 Flathead County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Flathead 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 Flathead 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.