Auto · County · South Carolina
Car washes and detailers in Dorchester County, SC
How Dorchester County, SC 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 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #689 of 1,451 scored counties
#17 of 27 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 28
- 11 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $60.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $954 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Dorchester County comes to about $60.3M a year: $954 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $2.2M per location, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Dorchester County has 28 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.4, 16% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Dorchester County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 5,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $5M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Dorchester County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dorchester County grew 10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dorchester County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #689 of 1,451 scored counties and #17 of 27 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Dorchester County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Dorchester County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.3M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,265 | 7,354 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.7% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $954 | $907 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 77
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 178,397+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 63,179
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 294
- Median household income
- $78,198+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,220
- Median home value
- $329,300
- Jobs located here
- 39,777
- Daytime population
- 129,933Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Dorchester County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kershaw County, SC | 77 | 8 | 3.0 | $3.4M | +11.6% | #94 of 1,451 |
| 2Aiken County, SC | 74 | 26 | 3.7 | $2.6M | +7.3% | #146 of 1,451 |
| 3York County, SC | 69 | 38 | 3.3 | $3M | +8.1% | #253 of 1,451 |
| 4Oconee County, SC | 69 | 12 | 3.5 | $2.8M | +6.3% | #258 of 1,451 |
| 5Berkeley County, SC | 69 | 36 | 3.8 | $2.5M | +18.7% | #264 of 1,451 |
| 6Laurens County, SC | 66 | 9 | 3.3 | $2.8M | +6.2% | #320 of 1,451 |
| 7Spartanburg County, SC | 66 | 58 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +15.6% | #330 of 1,451 |
| 8Pickens County, SC | 64 | 20 | 3.8 | $2.5M | +5.7% | #375 of 1,451 |
| 9Lancaster County, SC | 62 | 15 | 3.7 | $2.5M | +18.3% | #416 of 1,451 |
| 10Lexington County, SC | 61 | 55 | 4.5 | $2.2M | +7.7% | #449 of 1,451 |
| 17Dorchester County, SC | 52 | 28 | 4.4 | $2.2M | +10.1% | #689 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Dorchester 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 care65
- Auto repair shops68
- Collision repair and body shops72
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops57
- Oil change and quick lube46
- Gas stations78
- Insurance agencies79
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 Dorchester County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 28 car washes and detailers in Dorchester County. 11 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Dorchester County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $60.3M a year, or $954 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 63,179 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, SC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Dorchester County has 4.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.2M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 24, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,265 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 178,397 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,179 households. The median household income in Dorchester County is $78,198 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% 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. Dorchester County scores 52 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #689 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.