Auto · County · Pennsylvania
Car washes and detailers in Elk County, PA
How Elk County, PA 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 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,418 of 1,451 scored counties
#53 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 8
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $11.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $880 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 58% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,926
- −3.3% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Elk 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 Elk 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
The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Elk County is 12 (low), #1,418 of 1,451 scored counties and #53 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $880 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Elk County spend about $11.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $1.5M per location, 42% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 8 car washes and detailers on map listings in Elk County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.0, 58% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for car washes in Elk County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Elk County declined 3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Elk County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Elk County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 8,399 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $880 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,380 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 80 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Elk 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 Elk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,926−3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 13,325
- Median age
- 47.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 827 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $66,380+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,773
- Median home value
- $133,600
- Jobs located here
- 12,876
- Daytime population
- 29,443Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elk 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 Elk 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Elk County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monroe County, PA | 70 | 15 | 2.5 | $3.9M | −0.7% | #224 of 1,451 |
| 2Carbon County, PA | 65 | 6 | 2.2 | $4.1M | +1.7% | #332 of 1,451 |
| 3York County, PA | 65 | 75 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +3.6% | #350 of 1,451 |
| 4Berks County, PA | 63 | 56 | 3.4 | $2.7M | +2.7% | #393 of 1,451 |
| 5Adams County, PA | 63 | 17 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +3.6% | #398 of 1,451 |
| 6Centre County, PA | 61 | 15 | 2.5 | $3.2M | −0.4% | #431 of 1,451 |
| 7Chester County, PA | 61 | 85 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +4.2% | #442 of 1,451 |
| 8Bucks County, PA | 60 | 95 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +0.3% | #460 of 1,451 |
| 9Montgomery County, PA | 59 | 116 | 3.5 | $2.8M | +2.4% | #483 of 1,451 |
| 10Northampton County, PA | 59 | 46 | 3.8 | $2.5M | +3.7% | #492 of 1,451 |
| 53Elk County, PA | 12 | 8 | 6.0 | $1.5M | −3.3% | #1,418 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Elk 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 care22
- Auto repair shops24
- Collision repair and body shops18
- Car washes and detailing12
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations49
- Insurance agencies27
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 Elk County, PA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 car washes and detailers in Elk County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Elk County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Elk County, PA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.7M a year, or $880 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 13,325 households in Elk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elk County, PA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Elk County has 6.0 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Elk County would have about 5, against 8 on map listings.
How fast is Elk County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Elk County at 29,926 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,325 households. The median household income in Elk County is $66,380 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.2% 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. Elk County scores 12 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,418 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elk 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 Elk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elk 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 Elk 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.