Auto · County · North Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Wilkes County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Wilkes County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #892 of 1,451 scored counties
#50 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 15
- 2 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $955 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,233
- +0.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Wilkes County comes to about $25.9M a year: $955 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 15 car washes and detailers, that is $1.7M per location, 32% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Wilkes County has 15 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 13%, against 23% across the U.S. That is 5.5 per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Wilkes County classed as car washes. That is one for every 9,036 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $255K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Wilkes County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wilkes County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Wilkes County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #892 of 1,451 scored counties and #50 of 67 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wilkes 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 | Wilkes County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,036 | 6,963 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $955 | $939 | $958 |
| Median household income | $51,721 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 14
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $210K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 152 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
- 1
- Amount
- $255K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,233+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 27,107
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 754 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $51,721+17.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,361
- Median home value
- $168,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,607
- Daytime population
- 59,600Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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 |
| 50Wilkes County, NC | 44 | 15 | 5.5 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #892 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Wilkes 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 care44
- Auto repair shops51
- Collision repair and body shops50
- Car washes and detailing44
- Tire shops41
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations45
- Insurance agencies78
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 Wilkes County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 car washes and detailers in Wilkes County. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Wilkes County, NC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $25.9M a year, or $955 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 15 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 27,107 households in Wilkes County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wilkes County, NC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Wilkes County has 5.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.7M, 32% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Wilkes County would have about 10, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,036 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Wilkes County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wilkes County at 66,233 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,107 households. The median household income in Wilkes County is $51,721 a year, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.3% 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. Wilkes County scores 44 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #892 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilkes 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 Wilkes 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.