Auto · County · New Jersey
Car washes and detailers in Cape May County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Cape May County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,073 of 1,451 scored counties
#19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 16
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $40.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $898 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.6
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,390
- −1.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Cape May 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 Cape May 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 car washes and detailers in Cape May County. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 3.6 per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $898 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Cape May County spend about $40.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $2.5M of household spending for each location on map listings, in line with 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 Cape May County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 4,488 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cape May County declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Cape May County has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #1,073 of 1,451 scored counties and #19 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Cape May County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Cape May County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,488 | 5,307 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.4% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $898 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $91,128 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 41
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 160 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Cape May 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 Cape May County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 93,390−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 44,884
- Median age
- 50.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 252 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 377
- Median household income
- $91,128+35.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $122,129
- Median home value
- $434,600
- Jobs located here
- 34,945
- Daytime population
- 90,601Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cape May 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 Cape May 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Cape May County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, NJ | 80 | 14 | 2.4 | $4.4M | +2.9% | #55 of 1,451 |
| 2Hunterdon County, NJ | 73 | 16 | 3.1 | $3.5M | +2.3% | #159 of 1,451 |
| 3Somerset County, NJ | 68 | 27 | 2.1 | $5M | +3.5% | #271 of 1,451 |
| 4Mercer County, NJ | 67 | 32 | 2.2 | $3.8M | +3.3% | #295 of 1,451 |
| 5Morris County, NJ | 67 | 55 | 2.8 | $3.6M | +3.2% | #296 of 1,451 |
| 6Burlington County, NJ | 67 | 52 | 2.9 | $3.4M | +4.3% | #298 of 1,451 |
| 7Gloucester County, NJ | 67 | 38 | 3.4 | $3M | +3.3% | #299 of 1,451 |
| 8Warren County, NJ | 61 | 11 | 2.4 | $4.1M | +3.2% | #427 of 1,451 |
| 9Ocean County, NJ | 60 | 74 | 3.0 | $3M | +5.6% | #457 of 1,451 |
| 10Middlesex County, NJ | 59 | 83 | 2.7 | $3.4M | +2.6% | #478 of 1,451 |
| 19Cape May County, NJ | 36 | 16 | 3.6 | $2.5M | −1.7% | #1,073 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Cape May 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 care56
- Auto repair shops54
- Collision repair and body shops65
- Car washes and detailing36
- Tire shops56
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations61
- Insurance agencies49
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 Cape May County, NJ?
There are 16 car washes and detailers on map listings in Cape May County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Cape May County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $40.3M a year, or $898 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.5M 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 44,884 households in Cape May County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cape May County, NJ compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Cape May County has 3.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 5% below 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 4,488 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Cape May County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Cape May County at 93,390 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 44,884 households. Median household income in Cape May County is $91,128, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.9%, 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. Cape May County scores 36 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,073 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cape May 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 Cape May County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cape May 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 Cape May 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.