Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in the Elizabeth City, NC area
How the Elizabeth City, NC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #296 of 441 scored small-town markets
#16 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 8
- 2 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,201
- +4.5% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 car washes and detailers in the Elizabeth City area. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 25%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 5.1 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Elizabeth City area spend about $15.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $1.9M per location, 25% below 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.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Elizabeth City area in 2023. That is one for every 3,157 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Elizabeth City area grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Elizabeth City area scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #296 of 441 scored small-town markets and #16 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Elizabeth City 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 | Elizabeth City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,157 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,589 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 32
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 82 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 the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,201+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 15,785
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 227 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 180
- Median household income
- $66,589
- Average household income
- $85,046
- Median home value
- $234,600
- Jobs located here
- 15,323
- Daytime population
- 38,788Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Elizabeth City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Elizabeth City 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Elizabeth City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lumberton, NC | 79 | 10 | 2.3 | $3.9M | +3.4% | #18 of 441 |
| 2Albemarle, NC | 78 | 9 | 3.6 | $2.9M | +9.8% | #24 of 441 |
| 3Anderson Creek, NC | 75 | 21 | 4.2 | $2.4M | +12.3% | #49 of 441 |
| 4Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 74 | 14 | 3.6 | $2.7M | +3.4% | #57 of 441 |
| 5Waynesville, NC | 73 | 5 | 1.8 | $5.2M | +1.9% | #59 of 441 |
| 6Sanford, NC | 62 | 11 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +10.8% | #129 of 441 |
| 7Roanoke Rapids, NC | 59 | 8 | 2.8 | $3.2M | −4.3% | #143 of 441 |
| 8New Bern, NC | 58 | 23 | 4.4 | $2M | +3.6% | #155 of 441 |
| 9Kinston, NC | 57 | 8 | 3.4 | $2.4M | +1.4% | #158 of 441 |
| 10Morehead City, NC | 55 | 13 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +4.1% | #176 of 441 |
| 16Elizabeth City, NC | 41 | 8 | 5.1 | $1.9M | +4.5% | #296 of 441 |
Other business types in the Elizabeth City 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 care39
- Auto repair shops45
- Collision repair and body shops45
- Car washes and detailing41
- Tire shops52
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations58
- Insurance agencies74
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 Elizabeth City, NC area?
There are 8 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Elizabeth City area as of September 2026. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Elizabeth City, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $15.1M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 15,785 households in the Elizabeth City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Elizabeth City, NC area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Elizabeth City area has 5.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.9M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Elizabeth City area would have about 6, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,157 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Elizabeth City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Elizabeth City area at 42,201 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,785 households. Median household income in the Elizabeth City area is $66,589, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Elizabeth City area scores 41 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #296 of 441 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Elizabeth City 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 Elizabeth City 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.