Auto · County · North Dakota
Car washes and detailers in Ward County, ND
How Ward County, ND compares with other counties and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,267 of 1,451 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 19
- 2 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $32M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,121 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- 76% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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
Ward County scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,267 of 1,451 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,121 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in Ward County spend about $32M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 19 car washes and detailers, that is $1.7M per location, 33% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Ward County has 19 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 11%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Ward County classed as car washes. That is one for every 3,571 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $594K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Ward County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ward County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 5.2 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,571 | 5,518 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,121 | $1,154 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 102
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 192 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $594K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burleigh County, ND | 75 | 18 | 4.4 | $2.6M | +4.7% | #130 of 1,451 |
| 2Grand Forks County, ND | 64 | 10 | 3.2 | $3.1M | +1.9% | #358 of 1,451 |
| 3Williams County, ND | 63 | 6 | 4.0 | $3M | +1.4% | #387 of 1,451 |
| 4Stark County, ND | 62 | 6 | 4.4 | $2.6M | +0.5% | #414 of 1,451 |
| 5Stutsman County, ND | 45 | 5 | 5.3 | $2.1M | −0.6% | #854 of 1,451 |
| 6Richland County, ND | 43 | 5 | 7.3 | $1.6M | +1.2% | #923 of 1,451 |
| 7Cass County, ND | 39 | 57 | 6.8 | $1.5M | +9.1% | #1,016 of 1,451 |
| 8Morton County, ND | 38 | 14 | 10.0 | $1.3M | +3.8% | #1,051 of 1,451 |
| 9Ward County, ND | 27 | 19 | 6.7 | $1.7M | −2.4% | #1,267 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Ward 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 care33
- Auto repair shops33
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing27
- Tire shops53
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations36
- Insurance agencies19
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 Ward County, ND?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 19 car washes and detailers in Ward County. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $32M a year, or $1,121 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 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 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Ward County has 6.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.7M, 33% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Ward County would have about 13, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,571 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 27 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,267 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.