Auto · County · New Jersey
Car washes and detailers in Mercer County, NJ
How Mercer 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #295 of 1,451 scored counties
#4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 32
- 4 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $122.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $850 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 52% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.2
- 42% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 399,289
- +3.3% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 32 car washes and detailers in Mercer County. 4 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 2.2 for every 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Mercer County comes to about $122.5M a year: $850 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.8M per location, 52% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Mercer County classed as car washes. That is one for every 7,206 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Mercer County is 67 (upper middle), #295 of 1,451 scored counties and #4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Mercer 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 | Mercer County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $2.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,206 | 5,307 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.4% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $850 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $100,645 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 166
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 324 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 399,289+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 144,114
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 225 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,719
- Median household income
- $100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,372
- Median home value
- $377,700
- Jobs located here
- 262,034
- Daytime population
- 469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer 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 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 care62
- Auto repair shops56
- Collision repair and body shops63
- Car washes and detailing67
- Tire shops67
- Oil change and quick lube71
- Gas stations61
- Insurance agencies52
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 Mercer County, NJ?
Mercer County has 32 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $122.5M a year, or $850 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.8M 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 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Mercer County has 2.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.8M, 52% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Mercer County would have about 49, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,206 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 67 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #295 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.