Auto · Metro area · Montana
Car washes and detailers in the Great Falls, MT metro area
The car washes and detailers in the Great Falls, MT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #228 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 15
- 5 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $38.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,087 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,029
- +0.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Great Falls metro area
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 the Great Falls metro area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 car washes and detailers in the Great Falls metro area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 33%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.2, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in the Great Falls metro area spend about $38.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,087 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each location on map listings, 2% above 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 9 businesses with payroll in the Great Falls metro area classed as car washes. That is one for every 3,957 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.9M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Great Falls metro area.
Population estimates show the Great Falls metro area grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Great Falls metro area scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #228 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana.
How the Great Falls metro area 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 | Great Falls metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,957 | 4,329 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +34.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,087 | $1,157 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,690 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9
- Employees, 2023
- 58
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 155 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Great Falls metro area, 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 the Great Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,029+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 35,615
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,698 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $67,690+35.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,832
- Median home value
- $265,300
- Jobs located here
- 35,854
- Daytime population
- 84,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Great Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Great Falls metro area. 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 metro areas in Montana for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Great Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Helena, MT | 74 | 13 | 3.3 | $3.6M | +7.7% | #26 of 387 |
| 2Billings, MT | 66 | 28 | 3.6 | $3.2M | +4.8% | #72 of 387 |
| 3Missoula, MT | 63 | 19 | 3.5 | $3.1M | +4.7% | #97 of 387 |
| 4Bozeman, MT | 56 | 26 | 5.1 | $2.4M | +7.7% | #157 of 387 |
| 5Great Falls, MT | 46 | 15 | 4.2 | $2.6M | +0.7% | #228 of 387 |
Other business types in the Great Falls metro area
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 care34
- Auto repair shops34
- Collision repair and body shops24
- Car washes and detailing46
- Tire shops32
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations42
- Insurance agencies29
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 the Great Falls, MT metro area?
There are 15 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Great Falls metro area as of September 2026. 5 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Great Falls, MT metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $38.7M 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 15 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 35,615 households in the Great Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Great Falls, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Great Falls metro area has 4.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.6M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,957 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Great Falls, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Great Falls metro area at 85,029 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,615 households. Median household income in the Great Falls metro area is $67,690, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.6%, 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. The Great Falls metro area scores 46 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #228 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Great Falls metro area. 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 the Great Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Great Falls metro area?
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 the Great Falls metro area. 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.