Auto · County · New Jersey
Car washes and detailers in Union County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Union County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #982 of 1,451 scored counties
#17 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 80
- 12 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- +22.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $179M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $881 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Union 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 Union 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
At $881 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $179M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 80 car washes and detailers, that is $2.2M per location, 11% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Union County has 80 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 15%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.9 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Union County was 54 in 2023, up 22.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,764 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $7.4M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Union County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Union County grew 5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Union County is 40 (lower middle), #982 of 1,451 scored counties and #17 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.8M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,764 | 5,307 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.7% | +9.4% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $881 | $865 | $958 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44 → 54+22.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 390
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8012 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 71The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $7.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 17Union County, NJ | 40 | 80 | 3.9 | $2.2M | +5.0% | #982 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Union 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 care42
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops32
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops63
- Oil change and quick lube68
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies51
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 Union County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 80 car washes and detailers in Union County. 12 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 22.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $179M a year, or $881 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Union County has 3.9 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.2M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Union County would have about 71, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,764 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 40 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #982 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.