Auto · County · Ohio
Car washes and detailers in Portage County, OH
The car washes and detailers in Portage County, OH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #832 of 1,451 scored counties
#52 of 73 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 37
- 5 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $70.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,083 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.7
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 163,404
- +1.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Portage 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 Portage 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
Households in Portage County spend about $70.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,083 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. Spread across 37 car washes and detailers, that is $1.9M per location, 24% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Portage County has 37 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Portage County classed as car washes. That is one for every 5,932 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Portage County.
Population estimates show Portage County grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Portage County is 46 (lower middle), #832 of 1,451 scored counties and #52 of 73 scored counties in Ohio.
How Portage County 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 | Portage County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.7 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,932 | 6,792 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +26.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.0% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,083 | $1,033 | $958 |
| Median household income | $75,766 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 38
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 375 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Portage 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 Portage County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 163,404+1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 65,249
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 487 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 332
- Median household income
- $75,766+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,106
- Median home value
- $227,000
- Jobs located here
- 55,772
- Daytime population
- 143,575Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Portage County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairfield County, OH | 88 | 20 | 3.3 | $3.7M | +6.5% | #17 of 1,451 |
| 2Clermont County, OH | 83 | 26 | 3.1 | $3.9M | +3.9% | #45 of 1,451 |
| 3Licking County, OH | 83 | 22 | 3.2 | $3.6M | +3.8% | #46 of 1,451 |
| 4Delaware County, OH | 77 | 31 | 3.8 | $3.4M | +12.5% | #96 of 1,451 |
| 5Warren County, OH | 77 | 35 | 3.8 | $3.4M | +5.7% | #97 of 1,451 |
| 6Pickaway County, OH | 76 | 10 | 4.6 | $2.6M | +7.4% | #114 of 1,451 |
| 7Highland County, OH | 75 | 6 | 3.5 | $3.4M | +1.1% | #124 of 1,451 |
| 8Greene County, OH | 75 | 30 | 4.4 | $2.6M | +3.7% | #131 of 1,451 |
| 9Auglaize County, OH | 74 | 6 | 3.2 | $3.9M | −1.2% | #135 of 1,451 |
| 10Brown County, OH | 73 | 6 | 3.5 | $3.7M | +1.6% | #157 of 1,451 |
| 52Portage County, OH | 46 | 37 | 5.7 | $1.9M | +1.0% | #832 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Portage 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 care70
- Auto repair shops71
- Collision repair and body shops68
- Car washes and detailing46
- Tire shops75
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations68
- Insurance agencies52
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 Portage County, OH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 37 car washes and detailers in Portage County. 5 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Portage County, OH spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $70.7M a year, or $1,083 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 65,249 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portage County, OH compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Portage County has 5.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.9M, 24% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Portage County would have about 28, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,932 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Portage County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Portage County at 163,404 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,249 households. The median household income in Portage County is $75,766 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. Portage County scores 46 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #832 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portage 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 Portage County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.