Auto · County · Tennessee
Car washes and detailers in Shelby County, TN
The car washes and detailers in Shelby County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #876 of 1,451 scored counties
#35 of 47 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 124
- 55 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- +27.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $296.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $817 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.4
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 910,226
- −2.1% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 124 car washes and detailers in Shelby County. Of those, 55 are chain locations, or 44%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.4 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Shelby County spend about $296.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $817 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each location on map listings, 5% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Shelby County was 42 in 2023, up 27.3% from 2019. That is one for every 8,637 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.5M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Shelby County.
Population estimates show Shelby County declined 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Shelby County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #876 of 1,451 scored counties and #35 of 47 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Shelby County 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 | Shelby County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 8,637 | 7,613 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.3% | +15.6% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $817 | $944 | $958 |
| Median household income | $63,767 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33 → 42+27.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 356
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12455 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 118The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 910,226−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 362,741
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,221
- Median household income
- $63,767+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,646
- Median home value
- $249,100
- Jobs located here
- 497,377
- Daytime population
- 1,001,197Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Shelby County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Williamson County, TN | 89 | 28 | 3.0 | $3.8M | +9.0% | #13 of 1,451 |
| 2Loudon County, TN | 86 | 8 | 3.3 | $3.3M | +15.6% | #31 of 1,451 |
| 3Roane County, TN | 78 | 7 | 3.1 | $3.4M | +7.0% | #78 of 1,451 |
| 4Bradley County, TN | 76 | 15 | 3.5 | $2.8M | +6.1% | #113 of 1,451 |
| 5Jefferson County, TN | 72 | 8 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +9.3% | #187 of 1,451 |
| 6Cumberland County, TN | 71 | 8 | 2.8 | $3.2M | +8.0% | #202 of 1,451 |
| 7Lawrence County, TN | 71 | 6 | 3.5 | $2.9M | +6.2% | #210 of 1,451 |
| 8Bedford County, TN | 71 | 9 | 4.6 | $2.4M | +9.7% | #218 of 1,451 |
| 9Tipton County, TN | 68 | 5 | 2.2 | $4.7M | +2.0% | #272 of 1,451 |
| 10Dickson County, TN | 67 | 9 | 4.1 | $2.7M | +7.7% | #303 of 1,451 |
| 35Shelby County, TN | 44 | 124 | 3.4 | $2.4M | −2.1% | #876 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Shelby 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 care39
- Auto repair shops38
- Collision repair and body shops43
- Car washes and detailing44
- Tire shops30
- Oil change and quick lube27
- Gas stations31
- Insurance agencies39
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 Shelby County, TN?
Shelby County has 124 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 55 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 27.3% from 2019.
How much do households in Shelby County, TN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $296.4M a year, or $817 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 124 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.4M 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 362,741 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, TN compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Shelby County has 3.4 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.4M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Shelby County would have about 118, against 124 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,637 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 910,226 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 362,741 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $63,767, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Shelby County scores 44 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #876 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.