Auto · County · Pennsylvania
Car washes and detailers in Lancaster County, PA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Lancaster County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,227 of 1,451 scored counties
#42 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 109
- 15 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $193.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $910 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 563,159
- +1.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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
Lancaster County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,227 of 1,451 scored counties and #42 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 109 car washes and detailers in Lancaster County. 15 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.1, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $910 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Lancaster County spend about $193.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $1.8M per location, 29% 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 55 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Lancaster County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 3,868 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.8M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Lancaster County. Population estimates put the population change in Lancaster County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,868 | 8,399 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +9.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $910 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $86,959 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 550.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 425
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10915 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 77The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 563,159+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 212,748
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 591
- Median household income
- $86,959+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,346
- Median home value
- $301,100
- Jobs located here
- 258,003
- Daytime population
- 553,680Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 |
| 42Lancaster County, PA | 29 | 109 | 5.1 | $1.8M | +1.9% | #1,227 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Lancaster 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 care31
- Auto repair shops28
- Collision repair and body shops30
- Car washes and detailing29
- Tire shops61
- Oil change and quick lube70
- Gas stations68
- Insurance agencies49
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 Lancaster County, PA?
There are 109 car washes and detailers on map listings in Lancaster County as of September 2026. 15 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Lancaster County, PA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $193.7M a year, or $910 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 109 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 212,748 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, PA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Lancaster County has 5.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.8M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 77, against 109 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,868 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 563,159 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,748 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $86,959, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 29 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,227 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.