Auto · Small-town market · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in the Forest City, NC area
How the Forest 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #285 of 441 scored small-town markets
#15 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 17
- 2 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 68% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Forest 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 Forest 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 17 car washes and detailers in the Forest City area. 2 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 6.4 per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $954 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Forest City area spend about $25.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $1.5M per location, 41% 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 4 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Forest City area in 2023. That is one for every 6,661 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Forest City area grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Forest City area scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #285 of 441 scored small-town markets and #15 of 22 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Forest 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 | Forest City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,661 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 17
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $557K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 172 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Forest 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 Forest City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Forest 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 Forest 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 Forest 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 |
| 15Forest City, NC | 43 | 17 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +2.1% | #285 of 441 |
Other business types in the Forest 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 care45
- Auto repair shops47
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing43
- Tire shops41
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations77
- Insurance agencies89
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 Forest City, NC area?
The Forest City area has 17 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Forest City, NC area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $25.4M 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 17 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 26,642 households in the Forest City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Forest City, NC area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Forest City area has 6.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Forest City area would have about 10, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,661 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Forest City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Forest City area at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in the Forest City area is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. 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 Forest City area scores 43 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #285 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 Forest 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 Forest City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Forest 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 Forest 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.