Auto · Metro area · Montana
Car washes and detailers in the Missoula, MT metro area
The car washes and detailers in the Missoula, MT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #97 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 19
- 3 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $58.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,069 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.5
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 128,698
- +4.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Missoula 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 Missoula 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 19 car washes and detailers in the Missoula metro area. 3 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.5, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $1,069 per household (12% above the U.S. average), households in the Missoula metro area spend about $58.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3.1M per location, 22% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Missoula metro area was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 4,569 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Missoula metro area.
Population estimates show the Missoula metro area grew 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, the Missoula metro area has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #97 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana.
How the Missoula 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 | Missoula metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,569 | 4,329 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +34.2% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,069 | $1,157 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,989 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12
- Employees, 2023
- 91
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 193 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $250K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Missoula 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 Missoula metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 128,698+4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 54,829
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,813 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $74,989
- Average household income
- $102,725
- Median home value
- $466,400
- Jobs located here
- 67,485
- Daytime population
- 132,972Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula 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 care57
- Auto repair shops53
- Collision repair and body shops54
- Car washes and detailing63
- Tire shops71
- Oil change and quick lube41
- Gas stations34
- Insurance agencies38
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 Missoula, MT metro area?
There are 19 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Missoula metro area as of September 2026. 3 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Missoula, MT metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $58.6M a year, or $1,069 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 54,829 households in the Missoula metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Missoula, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Missoula metro area has 3.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.1M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Missoula metro area would have about 23, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,569 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Missoula, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Missoula metro area at 128,698 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,829 households. Median household income in the Missoula metro area is $74,989, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Missoula metro area scores 63 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #97 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 Missoula 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 Missoula metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Missoula 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 Missoula 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.