Auto · Metro area · Oregon
Car washes and detailers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #36 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Oregon
- Listings
- 267
- 45 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 133
- +8.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,047 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 57% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.6
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,542,282
- +1.0% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #36 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Oregon. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for car washes and detailers.
Households in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area spend about $1.1B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,047 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $4M of household spending for each location on map listings, 57% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area has 267 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 45 are chain locations, or 17%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.6, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area was 133 in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 7,596 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $973K have gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area compares
The same measures for Oregon 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 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,596 | 7,043 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.3% | +7.5% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.0% | +0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,047 | $1,050 | $958 |
| Median household income | $97,436 | $83,011 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 133+8.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 869
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26745 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 420The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $973K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,542,282+1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 1,010,265
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 6,687 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 377
- Median household income
- $97,436+30.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,023
- Median home value
- $559,400
- Jobs located here
- 1,264,357
- Daytime population
- 2,561,079Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Oregon
Every Oregon market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Oregon for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Oregon, with the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Oregon
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Corvallis, OR | 79 | 13 | 3.4 | $3.1M | +4.4% | #5 of 387 |
| 2Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 72 | 267 | 2.6 | $4M | +1.0% | #36 of 387 |
| 3Grants Pass, OR | 68 | 13 | 3.5 | $3.2M | −0.4% | #56 of 387 |
| 4Salem, OR | 65 | 50 | 3.1 | $3.5M | +2.7% | #77 of 387 |
| 5Albany, OR | 65 | 22 | 4.3 | $2.6M | +3.0% | #81 of 387 |
| 6Medford, OR | 64 | 38 | 4.1 | $2.6M | −0.9% | #91 of 387 |
| 7Eugene-Springfield, OR | 57 | 55 | 3.4 | $2.9M | −0.7% | #145 of 387 |
| 8Bend, OR | 49 | 60 | 5.7 | $2.1M | +7.0% | #204 of 387 |
Other business types in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 care71
- Auto repair shops67
- Collision repair and body shops64
- Car washes and detailing72
- Tire shops73
- Oil change and quick lube62
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies39
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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 267 car washes and detailers in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area. 45 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 133 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $1.1B a year, or $1,047 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 267 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 1,010,265 households in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area has 2.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $4M, 57% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area would have about 420, against 267 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,596 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area at 2,542,282 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,010,265 households. The median household income in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area is $97,436 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.3% 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. The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area scores 72 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #36 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 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.