Auto · County · New Jersey
Car washes and detailers in Essex County, NJ
How Essex County, NJ compares with other counties and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #581 of 1,451 scored counties
#11 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 67
- 7 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 60
- +15.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $214.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $670 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.1
- 45% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Essex County comes to about $214.4M a year: $670 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 27% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Essex County has 67 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 10%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 2.1 for every 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Essex County was 60 in 2023, up 15.4% from 2019. That is one for every 5,330 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #581 of 1,451 scored counties and #11 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $2.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,330 | 5,307 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.4% | +9.4% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $670 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 52 → 60+15.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,574
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 677 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 |
| 11Essex County, NJ | 55 | 67 | 2.1 | $3.2M | +4.2% | #581 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Essex 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 care45
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops30
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops52
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations64
- Insurance agencies53
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 Essex County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 67 car washes and detailers in Essex County. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 60 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 15.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $214.4M a year, or $670 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Essex County has 2.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 45% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.2M, 27% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Essex County would have about 85, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,330 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 55 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #581 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.