Auto · County · Pennsylvania
Car washes and detailers in Philadelphia County, PA
The car washes and detailers in Philadelphia County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #697 of 1,451 scored counties
#18 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 131
- 8 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- +4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $348.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $513 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.9
- 50% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,574,281
- −1.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 131 car washes and detailers in Philadelphia County. Chain locations make up 6% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.9 for every 10,000 households, 50% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Philadelphia County comes to about $348.8M a year: $513 per household, 46% below the U.S. average. Spread across 131 car washes and detailers, that is $2.7M per location, 6% above 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 43 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Philadelphia County in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 15,801 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Philadelphia County.
Population estimates put the population change in Philadelphia County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Philadelphia County is 51 (upper middle), #697 of 1,451 scored counties and #18 of 55 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Philadelphia 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 | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $2.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,801 | 8,399 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.9% | +9.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $513 | $837 | $958 |
| Median household income | $61,953 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 43+4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 405
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1318 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 139The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,574,281−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 679,428
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.1
- Land area
- 134 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11,759
- Median household income
- $61,953+34.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,219
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 745,931
- Daytime population
- 1,658,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 |
| 18Philadelphia County, PA | 51 | 131 | 1.9 | $2.7M | −1.6% | #697 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Philadelphia 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 care36
- Auto repair shops28
- Collision repair and body shops32
- Car washes and detailing51
- Tire shops50
- Oil change and quick lube61
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies40
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 Philadelphia County, PA?
There are 131 car washes and detailers on map listings in Philadelphia County as of September 2026. 8 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Philadelphia County, PA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $348.8M a year, or $513 per household. That is 46% below the U.S. average (an index of 54, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 131 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 679,428 households in Philadelphia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Philadelphia County, PA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Philadelphia County has 1.9 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 50% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.7M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Philadelphia County would have about 139, against 131 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,801 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Philadelphia County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Philadelphia County at 1,574,281 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 679,428 households. Median household income in Philadelphia County is $61,953, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.9%, 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. Philadelphia County scores 51 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #697 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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.