Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Union County, NC
The car washes and detailers in Union County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #142 of 1,451 scored counties
#8 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 32
- 8 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $97M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,151 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Union 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 Union 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
Union County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #142 of 1,451 scored counties and #8 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.
At $1,151 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $97M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $3M per location, 20% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Union County has 32 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 25%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as car washes. That is one for every 5,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $3.2M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Union County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Union County grew 11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,265 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,151 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 211
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 328 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
Other business types in Union 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 care53
- Auto repair shops49
- Collision repair and body shops52
- Car washes and detailing74
- Tire shops69
- Oil change and quick lube70
- Gas stations85
- Insurance agencies76
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 Union County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 32 car washes and detailers in Union County. 8 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $97M a year, or $1,151 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3M per location. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which car washes and detailers share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Union County has 3.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Union County would have about 39, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Union County scores 74 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #142 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.