Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Chatham County, NC
How Chatham County, NC 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 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #216 of 1,451 scored counties
#16 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 14
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $35.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,064 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,111
- +11.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Chatham 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 Chatham 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 14 car washes and detailers in Chatham County. None of them 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.
Households in Chatham County spend about $35.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,064 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. Spread across 14 car washes and detailers, that is $2.5M per location, 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Chatham County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.9M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Chatham County.
Population estimates put the population change in Chatham County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Chatham County is 71 (upper middle), #216 of 1,451 scored counties and #16 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Chatham 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 | Chatham County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,064 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $94,317 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 140 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Chatham 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 Chatham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,111+11.0% since 2020
- Households
- 33,004
- Median age
- 47.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 682 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $94,317+40.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $138,537
- Median home value
- $446,200
- Jobs located here
- 20,863
- Daytime population
- 66,832Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chatham 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 Chatham 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 Chatham 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 |
| 16Chatham County, NC | 71 | 14 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +11.0% | #216 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Chatham 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 care78
- Auto repair shops74
- Collision repair and body shops89
- Car washes and detailing71
- Tire shops70
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations77
- Insurance agencies91
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 Chatham County, NC?
Chatham County has 14 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Chatham County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Chatham County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $35.1M a year, or $1,064 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 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 33,004 households in Chatham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chatham County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Chatham 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 $2.5M, 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.
How fast is Chatham County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Chatham County at 85,111 people in 2025, up 11.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,004 households. Median household income in Chatham County is $94,317, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.7%, 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. Chatham County scores 71 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #216 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chatham 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 Chatham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chatham 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 Chatham 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.