Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Gaston County, NC
The car washes and detailers in Gaston County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #596 of 1,451 scored counties
#31 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 35
- 8 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $87.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $935 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.7
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 35 car washes and detailers in Gaston County. 8 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.7, 3% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Gaston County comes to about $87.5M a year: $935 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $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.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Gaston County classed as car washes. That is one for every 4,925 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Gaston County.
Population estimates put the population change in Gaston County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #596 of 1,451 scored counties and #31 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,925 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $935 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 153
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 358 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $15K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 31Gaston County, NC | 55 | 35 | 3.7 | $2.5M | +7.8% | #596 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 care51
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing55
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube65
- Gas stations72
- Insurance agencies81
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 Gaston County, NC?
There are 35 car washes and detailers on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. 8 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $87.5M a year, or $935 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 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 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Gaston County has 3.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3% below 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. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,925 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 55 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #596 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.