Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Buncombe County, NC
The car washes and detailers in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #933 of 1,451 scored counties
#52 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 43
- 13 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $91.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $900 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 Buncombe County comes to about $91.7M a year: $900 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each location on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 43 car washes and detailers on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 13 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.2, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Buncombe County classed as car washes. That is one for every 5,093 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $4.5M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Buncombe County.
Population estimates show Buncombe County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #933 of 1,451 scored counties and #52 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,093 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $900 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 121
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4313 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Moore County, NC | 82 | 12 | 2.7 | $3.5M | +10.3% | #48 of 1,451 |
| 2Orange County, NC | 81 | 11 | 1.9 | $4.9M | +6.1% | #52 of 1,451 |
| 3Rowan County, NC | 78 | 16 | 2.7 | $3.6M | +5.6% | #75 of 1,451 |
| 4Randolph County, NC | 77 | 17 | 2.9 | $3.4M | +3.5% | #93 of 1,451 |
| 5Brunswick County, NC | 77 | 25 | 3.6 | $2.7M | +26.5% | #102 of 1,451 |
| 6Robeson County, NC | 76 | 10 | 2.3 | $3.9M | +3.4% | #107 of 1,451 |
| 7Stanly County, NC | 75 | 9 | 3.6 | $2.9M | +9.8% | #129 of 1,451 |
| 8Union County, NC | 74 | 32 | 3.8 | $3M | +11.7% | #142 of 1,451 |
| 9Jackson County, NC | 72 | 5 | 2.7 | $3.4M | +6.9% | #177 of 1,451 |
| 10Rockingham County, NC | 72 | 12 | 3.0 | $3M | +3.3% | #181 of 1,451 |
| 52Buncombe County, NC | 42 | 43 | 4.2 | $2.1M | +2.9% | #933 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 care33
- Auto repair shops40
- Collision repair and body shops55
- Car washes and detailing42
- Tire shops32
- Oil change and quick lube19
- Gas stations61
- Insurance agencies64
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 Buncombe County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 43 car washes and detailers in Buncombe County. 13 of them (30%) 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 Buncombe County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $91.7M a year, or $900 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Buncombe County has 4.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.1M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 36, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,093 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 42 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #933 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.