Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Pender County, NC
The car washes and detailers in Pender County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #347 of 1,451 scored counties
#22 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 11
- 7 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $26.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,030 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 72,111
- +19.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Pender 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 Pender 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 11 car washes and detailers in Pender County. 7 of them (64%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.3 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Pender County comes to about $26.1M a year: $1,030 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each location on map listings, 6% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Pender County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 6,323 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pender County grew 19.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, Pender County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #347 of 1,451 scored counties and #22 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Pender 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 | Pender County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,323 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +19.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,030 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,396 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 29
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $801K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 117 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 Pender 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 Pender County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 72,111+19.0% since 2020
- Households
- 25,291
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 871 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 75
- Median household income
- $80,396+40.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,635
- Median home value
- $299,000
- Jobs located here
- 14,661
- Daytime population
- 52,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pender 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 Pender 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 Pender 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 |
| 22Pender County, NC | 65 | 11 | 4.3 | $2.4M | +19.0% | #347 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Pender 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 care76
- Auto repair shops76
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing65
- Tire shops60
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations91
- Insurance agencies90
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 Pender County, NC?
There are 11 car washes and detailers on map listings in Pender County as of September 2026. 7 of them (64%) 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 Pender County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $26.1M a year, or $1,030 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 25,291 households in Pender County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pender County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Pender County has 4.3 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.4M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Pender County would have about 10, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,323 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Pender County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Pender County at 72,111 people in 2025, up 19.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,291 households. Median household income in Pender County is $80,396, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.5%, 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. Pender County scores 65 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #347 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pender 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 Pender County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pender 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 Pender 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.