Auto · Small-town market · Tennessee
Car washes and detailers in the Cookeville, TN area
The car washes and detailers in the Cookeville, TN area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #46 of 441 scored small-town markets
#3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 22
- 5 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $56.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $964 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.7
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 152,477
- +7.6% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Cookeville area
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 the Cookeville area. 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 22 car washes and detailers in the Cookeville area. 5 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.7, 3% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
At $964 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Cookeville area spend about $56.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $2.6M per location, 2% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Cookeville area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 9,782 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Cookeville area grew 7.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Cookeville area scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #46 of 441 scored small-town markets and #3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Cookeville area compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Cookeville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,782 | 7,613 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.6% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.6% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $964 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $55,380 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 36
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $992K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 225 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Cookeville area, 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 the Cookeville area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 152,477+7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 58,693
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,520 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 96
- Median household income
- $55,380
- Average household income
- $75,930
- Median home value
- $237,000
- Jobs located here
- 55,382
- Daytime population
- 142,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cookeville area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cookeville area. 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Tennessee for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Cookeville area marked.
Top small-town markets in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Crossville, TN | 75 | 8 | 2.8 | $3.2M | +8.0% | #43 of 441 |
| 2Lawrenceburg, TN | 75 | 6 | 3.5 | $2.9M | +6.2% | #45 of 441 |
| 3Cookeville, TN | 75 | 22 | 3.7 | $2.6M | +7.6% | #46 of 441 |
| 4Athens, TN | 75 | 11 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +8.2% | #48 of 441 |
| 5Shelbyville, TN | 75 | 9 | 4.6 | $2.4M | +9.7% | #50 of 441 |
| 6McMinnville, TN | 64 | 7 | 4.3 | $2.3M | +6.5% | #113 of 441 |
| 7Lewisburg, TN | 63 | 6 | 4.4 | $2.4M | +10.5% | #119 of 441 |
| 8Newport, TN | 61 | 6 | 3.9 | $2.4M | +5.1% | #134 of 441 |
| 9Winchester, TN | 55 | 9 | 5.2 | $1.9M | +6.4% | #180 of 441 |
| 10Martin, TN | 52 | 5 | 3.7 | $2.4M | +1.1% | #199 of 441 |
Other business types in the Cookeville area
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 shops64
- Collision repair and body shops78
- Car washes and detailing75
- Tire shops78
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations69
- Insurance agencies85
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 the Cookeville, TN area?
The Cookeville area has 22 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Cookeville, TN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $56.6M a year, or $964 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 58,693 households in the Cookeville area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cookeville, TN area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Cookeville area has 3.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.6M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Cookeville area would have about 23, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,782 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Cookeville, TN area growing?
Population estimates put the Cookeville area at 152,477 people in 2025, up 7.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 58,693 households. Median household income in the Cookeville area is $55,380, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cookeville area scores 75 for car washes and detailers (high), #46 of 441 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cookeville area. 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 the Cookeville area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cookeville area?
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 the Cookeville area. 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.