Auto · County · New York
Car washes and detailers in Cortland County, NY
The car washes and detailers in Cortland County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #737 of 1,451 scored counties
#20 of 48 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 5
- 2 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $836 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Cortland 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 Cortland 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 5 car washes and detailers in Cortland County. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 2.6 for every 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Cortland County spend about $15.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $836 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.2M per location, 26% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Cortland County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 6,333 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Cortland County declined 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Cortland County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #737 of 1,451 scored counties and #20 of 48 scored counties in New York.
How Cortland County compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Cortland County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,333 | 7,992 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $836 | $642 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 3
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $211K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 52 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 Cortland 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 Cortland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cortland 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 Cortland 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in New York, with Cortland County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1New York County, NY | 63 | 24 | 0.3 | $8.7M | −1.3% | #380 of 1,451 |
| 2Tompkins County, NY | 58 | 10 | 2.3 | $3.3M | −1.4% | #508 of 1,451 |
| 3Rensselaer County, NY | 58 | 18 | 2.7 | $3.1M | −0.2% | #509 of 1,451 |
| 4Queens County, NY | 57 | 89 | 1.1 | $4.4M | −1.1% | #531 of 1,451 |
| 5Saratoga County, NY | 57 | 32 | 3.1 | $2.9M | +2.3% | #537 of 1,451 |
| 6Warren County, NY | 56 | 9 | 3.0 | $2.8M | −0.9% | #562 of 1,451 |
| 7Columbia County, NY | 55 | 5 | 1.9 | $4.7M | −2.1% | #580 of 1,451 |
| 8Richmond County, NY | 55 | 41 | 2.4 | $3.1M | +1.3% | #582 of 1,451 |
| 9Putnam County, NY | 54 | 13 | 3.7 | $2.9M | +1.4% | #622 of 1,451 |
| 10Westchester County, NY | 53 | 98 | 2.6 | $3.1M | +1.4% | #639 of 1,451 |
| 20Cortland County, NY | 49 | 5 | 2.6 | $3.2M | −1.9% | #737 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Cortland 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 care17
- Auto repair shops17
- Collision repair and body shops30
- Car washes and detailing49
- Tire shops18
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations36
- Insurance agencies30
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 Cortland County, NY?
Cortland County has 5 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Cortland County, NY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.9M a year, or $836 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 18,999 households in Cortland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cortland County, NY compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Cortland County has 2.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.2M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Cortland County would have about 6, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,333 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Cortland County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Cortland County at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in Cortland County is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. Cortland County scores 49 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #737 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cortland 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 Cortland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cortland 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 Cortland 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.