Auto · Metro area · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #156 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 420
- 110 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 193
- +6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $952 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,938,830
- +10.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area
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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area comes to about $1B a year: $952 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each location on map listings, 3% 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 420 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area as of September 2026. 110 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.9, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 193 businesses with payroll in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area classed as car washes, up 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 5,576 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $16.5M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area.
Population estimates show the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area is 56 (upper middle), #156 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area 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 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,576 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.0% | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $952 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $83,304 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 193+6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,746
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $62.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 420110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 407The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $16.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area, 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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,938,830+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 1,076,260
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 5,598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 495
- Median household income
- $83,304+31.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,495
- Median home value
- $356,400
- Jobs located here
- 1,400,944
- Daytime population
- 2,846,416Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 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 metro areas in North Carolina for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 83 | 12 | 2.7 | $3.5M | +10.3% | #1 of 387 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 76 | 74 | 3.0 | $3M | +7.5% | #20 of 387 |
| 3Raleigh-Cary, NC | 67 | 206 | 3.6 | $2.7M | +12.6% | #70 of 387 |
| 4Winston-Salem, NC | 66 | 99 | 3.5 | $2.7M | +5.3% | #74 of 387 |
| 5Greenville, NC | 63 | 24 | 3.2 | $2.5M | +5.4% | #103 of 387 |
| 6Rocky Mount, NC | 60 | 17 | 2.9 | $3.2M | +2.8% | #120 of 387 |
| 7Burlington, NC | 58 | 31 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +8.5% | #140 of 387 |
| 8Jacksonville, NC | 57 | 33 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +6.0% | #152 of 387 |
| 9Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 56 | 420 | 3.9 | $2.4M | +10.1% | #156 of 387 |
| 10Greensboro-High Point, NC | 51 | 123 | 3.9 | $2.4M | +4.1% | #187 of 387 |
Other business types in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area
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 care51
- Auto repair shops53
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing56
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube54
- Gas stations74
- Insurance agencies72
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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 420 car washes and detailers in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 110 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 193 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $1B a year, or $952 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 420 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 1,076,260 households in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area has 3.9 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.4M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area would have about 407, against 420 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,576 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area at 2,938,830 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,076,260 households. The median household income in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area is $83,304 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.8% 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. The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area scores 56 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #156 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area?
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 the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area. 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.