Auto · Small-town market · Nebraska
Car washes and detailers in the Kearney, NE area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Kearney, NE area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #98 of 441 scored small-town markets
#1 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 11
- 2 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,213 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,962
- +1.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Kearney area comes to about $27.7M a year: $1,213 per household, 27% above the U.S. average. Spread across 11 car washes and detailers, that is $2.5M per location, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
The Kearney area has 11 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.8 per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Kearney area was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 4,560 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.9M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Kearney area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Kearney area grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the Kearney area is 66 (upper middle), #98 of 441 scored small-town markets and #1 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Kearney area 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 | Kearney area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.6M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,560 | 4,778 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +12.1% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,213 | $1,146 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,109 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 42
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $980K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Kearney 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 Kearney area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,962+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 22,798
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,484 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $76,109+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,670
- Median home value
- $242,600
- Jobs located here
- 29,261
- Daytime population
- 59,015Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kearney area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Kearney 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 Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Kearney area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kearney, NE | 66 | 11 | 4.8 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #98 of 441 |
| 2Lexington, NE | 66 | 6 | 6.0 | $2.2M | +1.1% | #100 of 441 |
| 3Fremont, NE | 63 | 7 | 4.6 | $2.6M | +2.6% | #116 of 441 |
| 4North Platte, NE | 55 | 7 | 4.6 | $2.5M | −3.6% | #174 of 441 |
| 5Columbus, NE | 54 | 10 | 5.8 | $2.1M | +3.8% | #185 of 441 |
| 6Norfolk, NE | 47 | 14 | 7.1 | $1.6M | +1.1% | #244 of 441 |
| 7Scottsbluff, NE | 45 | 7 | 4.6 | $2.4M | −1.2% | #257 of 441 |
| 8Hastings, NE | 33 | 16 | 9.4 | $1.3M | −0.2% | #355 of 441 |
Other business types in the Kearney 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 care55
- Auto repair shops52
- Collision repair and body shops50
- Car washes and detailing66
- Tire shops76
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations56
- Insurance agencies25
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 Kearney, NE area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 car washes and detailers in the Kearney area. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Kearney, NE area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $27.7M a year, or $1,213 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 22,798 households in the Kearney area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kearney, NE area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Kearney area has 4.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.5M, in line with 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 4,560 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Kearney, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Kearney area at 57,962 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,798 households. The median household income in the Kearney area is $76,109 a year, 6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Kearney area scores 66 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #98 of 441 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Kearney 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 Kearney area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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.