Auto · County · Pennsylvania
Car washes and detailers in Lehigh County, PA
How Lehigh 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #989 of 1,451 scored counties
#34 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 68
- 6 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $126.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $876 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.7
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 384,383
- +2.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 68 car washes and detailers in Lehigh County. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.7 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Lehigh County spend about $126.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $876 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per location, 26% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in Lehigh County classed as car washes, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 6,016 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Lehigh County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lehigh County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, Lehigh County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #989 of 1,451 scored counties and #34 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Lehigh 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 | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,016 | 8,399 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +9.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $876 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $80,079 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 24+9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 208
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 686 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 384,383+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 144,386
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,097
- Median household income
- $80,079+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,753
- Median home value
- $300,400
- Jobs located here
- 215,511
- Daytime population
- 411,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 |
| 34Lehigh County, PA | 40 | 68 | 4.7 | $1.9M | +2.7% | #989 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Lehigh 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 care35
- Auto repair shops30
- Collision repair and body shops43
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops46
- Oil change and quick lube72
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies36
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 Lehigh County, PA?
Lehigh County has 68 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Lehigh County, PA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $126.5M a year, or $876 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 144,386 households in Lehigh County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lehigh County, PA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Lehigh County has 4.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.9M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Lehigh County would have about 50, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,016 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Lehigh County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lehigh County at 384,383 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,386 households. Median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Lehigh County scores 40 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #989 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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.