Auto · Metro area · Ohio
Car washes and detailers in the Cleveland, OH metro area
The car washes and detailers in the Cleveland, OH metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #273 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 417
- 78 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 137
- +35.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $889.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $955 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,165,775
- −0.8% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Cleveland metro area
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 the Cleveland metro area. 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 417 car washes and detailers in the Cleveland metro area. Of those, 78 are chain locations, or 19%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 18% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Cleveland metro area comes to about $889.4M a year: $955 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 417 car washes and detailers, that is $2.1M per location, 15% 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.
Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Cleveland metro area in 2023, up 35.6% from 2019. That is one for every 6,798 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $18M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Cleveland metro area.
Population estimates show the Cleveland metro area declined 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the Cleveland metro area is 40 (lower middle), #273 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio.
How the Cleveland metro area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Cleveland metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,798 | 6,792 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +35.6% | +26.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $955 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,678 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 137+35.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,140
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 41778 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 353The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $18M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Cleveland metro area, 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 the Cleveland metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,165,775−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 931,377
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,702 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 804
- Median household income
- $70,678
- Average household income
- $98,881
- Median home value
- $215,400
- Jobs located here
- 1,071,853
- Daytime population
- 2,231,827Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cleveland metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Cleveland metro area. 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cleveland metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, OH | 72 | 320 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +4.7% | #39 of 387 |
| 2Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 67 | 311 | 3.4 | $3.1M | +2.7% | #66 of 387 |
| 3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 58 | 152 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +1.5% | #139 of 387 |
| 4Springfield, OH | 53 | 23 | 4.1 | $2.5M | −0.4% | #174 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 51 | 51 | 3.4 | $2.6M | −2.6% | #185 of 387 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | 49 | 21 | 3.6 | $2.4M | −3.6% | #199 of 387 |
| 5Sandusky, OH | 47 | 20 | 3.9 | $2.7M | −2.6% | #220 of 387 |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 45 | 19 | 3.8 | $2.3M | −3.6% | #239 of 387 |
| 6Cleveland, OH | 40 | 417 | 4.5 | $2.1M | −0.8% | #273 of 387 |
| 7Lima, OH | 38 | 28 | 6.8 | $1.6M | −1.2% | #294 of 387 |
Other business types in the Cleveland metro area
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 care56
- Auto repair shops56
- Collision repair and body shops55
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops49
- Oil change and quick lube56
- Gas stations46
- Insurance agencies22
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 the Cleveland, OH metro area?
There are 417 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Cleveland metro area as of September 2026. 78 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 35.6% from 2019.
How much do households in the Cleveland, OH metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $889.4M 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 417 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 931,377 households in the Cleveland metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cleveland, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Cleveland metro area has 4.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.1M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Cleveland metro area would have about 353, against 417 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,798 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 35.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cleveland, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Cleveland metro area at 2,165,775 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 931,377 households. Median household income in the Cleveland metro area is $70,678, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Cleveland metro area scores 40 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #273 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cleveland metro area. 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 the Cleveland metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cleveland metro area?
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 the Cleveland metro area. 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.