Auto · County · Nebraska
Car washes and detailers in Dakota County, NE
The car washes and detailers in Dakota County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,313 of 1,451 scored counties
#14 of 14 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 10
- 2 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,185 a household
- Spending per listing
- $884K
- 65% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.4
- 3.5 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,687
- +0.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota 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
For car washes and detailers, Dakota County has a Groundwork market score of 25 (lower middle): #1,313 of 1,451 scored counties and #14 of 14 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,185 per household (24% above the U.S. average), households in Dakota County spend about $8.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 10 car washes and detailers, that is $884K per location, 65% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Dakota County has 10 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 20%, against 23% across the U.S. That is 13.4 per 10,000 households, 3.5 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Dakota County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,865 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Dakota County. Population estimates show Dakota County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Dakota County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.4 | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $884K | $2.6M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,865 | 4,778 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,185 | $1,146 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,329 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 26
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $725K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,687+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,459
- Median age
- 34.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 264 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $70,329+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,843
- Median home value
- $185,700
- Jobs located here
- 15,030
- Daytime population
- 25,103Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sarpy County, NE | 70 | 29 | 3.9 | $3.1M | +9.0% | #235 of 1,451 |
| 2Lancaster County, NE | 66 | 62 | 4.6 | $2.3M | +3.4% | #328 of 1,451 |
| 3Cass County, NE | 64 | 5 | 4.6 | $2.9M | +3.9% | #362 of 1,451 |
| 4Dawson County, NE | 63 | 5 | 5.5 | $2.4M | +1.5% | #403 of 1,451 |
| 5Dodge County, NE | 55 | 7 | 4.6 | $2.6M | +2.6% | #593 of 1,451 |
| 6Douglas County, NE | 54 | 101 | 4.2 | $2.4M | +3.6% | #629 of 1,451 |
| 7Buffalo County, NE | 51 | 10 | 5.0 | $2.4M | +1.9% | #702 of 1,451 |
| 8Lincoln County, NE | 48 | 7 | 4.7 | $2.5M | −3.6% | #771 of 1,451 |
| 9Platte County, NE | 46 | 8 | 5.9 | $2M | +3.9% | #830 of 1,451 |
| 10Scotts Bluff County, NE | 39 | 7 | 4.6 | $2.4M | −1.3% | #1,002 of 1,451 |
| 14Dakota County, NE | 25 | 10 | 13.4 | $884K | +0.7% | #1,313 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Dakota County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Dakota County, NE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 car washes and detailers in Dakota County. 2 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Dakota County, NE spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.8M a year, or $1,185 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $884K 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 7,459 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, NE compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Dakota County has 13.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3.5 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $884K, 65% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Dakota County would have about 4, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,865 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 21,687 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,459 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $70,329 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% 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. Dakota County scores 25 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,313 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.