Auto · County · New York
Car washes and detailers in Erie County, NY
How Erie County, NY 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #745 of 1,451 scored counties
#21 of 48 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 123
- 32 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +15.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $308.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $753 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.0
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 946,741
- −0.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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 123 car washes and detailers in Erie County. 32 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.0, 21% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $753 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Erie County spend about $308.5M 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 Erie County was 44 in 2023, up 15.8% from 2019. That is one for every 9,311 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $887K have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Erie County.
Population estimates show Erie County declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Erie County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #745 of 1,451 scored counties and #21 of 48 scored counties in New York.
How Erie 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 | Erie County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.7M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,311 | 7,992 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.8% | +7.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $753 | $642 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,839 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 44+15.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 427
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12332 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 123The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $887K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 946,741−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 409,665
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 1,043 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 912
- Median household income
- $72,839+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,750
- Median home value
- $233,800
- Jobs located here
- 478,475
- Daytime population
- 994,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie 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 |
| 21Erie County, NY | 49 | 123 | 3.0 | $2.5M | −0.6% | #745 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Erie 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 care38
- Auto repair shops33
- Collision repair and body shops45
- Car washes and detailing49
- Tire shops45
- Oil change and quick lube53
- Gas stations52
- Insurance agencies28
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 Erie County, NY?
There are 123 car washes and detailers on map listings in Erie County as of September 2026. 32 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 15.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Erie County, NY spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $308.5M a year, or $753 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 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 409,665 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, NY compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Erie County has 3.0 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 21% 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 9,311 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 946,741 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 409,665 households. Median household income in Erie County is $72,839, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Erie County scores 49 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #745 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.