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Car washes and detailers in Horry County, SC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in Horry County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #841 of 1,451 scored counties
#22 of 27 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
90
20 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
21
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$134.1M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $845 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
41% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
50% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
427,551
+20.9% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in Horry 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 Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Horry County spend about $134.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $845 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per location, 41% 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 90 car washes and detailers on map listings in Horry County as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 22%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 5.7 for every 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Horry County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 7,561 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Horry County.

Population estimates show Horry County grew 20.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Horry County is 46 (lower middle), #841 of 1,451 scored counties and #22 of 27 scored counties in South Carolina.

How Horry 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.

Car washes and detailing in Horry County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureHorry CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.74.03.8
Spending per listing$1.5M$2.3M$2.5M
Households per official establishment7,5617,3546,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+15.7%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+20.9%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$845$907$958
Median household income$66,880$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score4654

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 210.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
149
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
9020 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
53The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$15K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Horry 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 Horry County

Population, 2025 estimate
427,551+20.9% since 2020
Households
158,779
Median age
47.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,133 sq. mi.
People per square mile
338
Median household income
$66,880+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,740
Median home value
$287,700
Jobs located here
142,324
Daytime population
375,675Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Horry 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 Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Car 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 Horry County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kershaw County, SC7783.0$3.4M+11.6%#94 of 1,451
2Aiken County, SC74263.7$2.6M+7.3%#146 of 1,451
3York County, SC69383.3$3M+8.1%#253 of 1,451
4Oconee County, SC69123.5$2.8M+6.3%#258 of 1,451
5Berkeley County, SC69363.8$2.5M+18.7%#264 of 1,451
6Laurens County, SC6693.3$2.8M+6.2%#320 of 1,451
7Spartanburg County, SC66584.4$2.1M+15.6%#330 of 1,451
8Pickens County, SC64203.8$2.5M+5.7%#375 of 1,451
9Lancaster County, SC62153.7$2.5M+18.3%#416 of 1,451
10Lexington County, SC61554.5$2.2M+7.7%#449 of 1,451
22Horry County, SC46905.7$1.5M+20.9%#841 of 1,451

Other business types in Horry County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Horry County, SC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 90 car washes and detailers in Horry County. 20 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, unchanged from 2019.

How much do households in Horry County, SC spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $134.1M a year, or $845 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 90 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 158,779 households in Horry County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Horry County, SC compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

Horry County has 5.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.5M, 41% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Horry County would have about 53, against 90 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,561 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 Horry County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Horry County at 427,551 people in 2025, up 20.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 158,779 households. The median household income in Horry County is $66,880 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Horry County scores 46 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #841 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Horry 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 Horry County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Horry 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 Horry 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.