Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Texas

Car washes and detailers in the Sweetwater, TX area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Sweetwater, TX area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 3 out of 100: Very low

Ranked #441 of 441 scored small-town markets
#31 of 31 scored small-town markets based in Texas

Listings
5
2 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$4.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $801 a household
Spending per listing
$943K
63% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.5
2.2 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
14,117
−4.1% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater area. 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

The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in the Sweetwater area is 3 (very low), #441 of 441 scored small-town markets and #31 of 31 scored small-town markets based in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

As of September 2026, map listings count 5 car washes and detailers in the Sweetwater area. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.5, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.

At $801 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in the Sweetwater area spend about $4.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 5 car washes and detailers, that is $943K per location, 63% 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.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in the Sweetwater area: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sweetwater area declined 4.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Sweetwater area compares

The same measures for Texas 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 Sweetwater, TX area compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureSweetwater areaTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.54.73.8
Spending per listing$943K$2M$2.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a5,9166,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+26.8%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.1%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$801$918$958
Median household income$50,747$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score335

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
52 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2The 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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater area

Population, 2025 estimate
14,117−4.1% since 2020
Households
5,886
Median age
38.0
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
912 sq. mi.
People per square mile
16
Median household income
$50,747+11.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,510
Median home value
$96,300
Jobs located here
5,992
Daytime population
13,606Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Car washes and detailing across Texas

Every Texas market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Texas for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Sweetwater area marked.

Top small-town markets in Texas

Small-town markets in Texas ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Gainesville, TX8253.0$3.4M+6.5%#13 of 441
2Huntsville, TX7362.3$3.5M+9.5%#61 of 441
3Palestine, TX6752.8$3.1M+3.2%#89 of 441
4Granbury, TX65135.1$2M+13.6%#109 of 441
5Stephenville, TX6353.0$3.3M+2.8%#114 of 441
6Jacksonville, TX5684.4$2.1M+5.4%#168 of 441
7Del Rio, TX5563.6$2.6M+0.5%#173 of 441
8Sulphur Springs, TX4885.7$1.8M+6.1%#236 of 441
9Brenham, TX4785.2$1.7M+7.0%#243 of 441
10Athens, TX47206.0$1.6M+7.5%#246 of 441
31Sweetwater, TX358.5$943K−4.1%#441 of 441

Other business types in the Sweetwater area

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

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in the Sweetwater, TX area?

The Sweetwater area has 5 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in the Sweetwater area: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in the Sweetwater, TX area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $4.7M a year, or $801 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $943K 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 5,886 households in the Sweetwater area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Sweetwater, TX area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?

The Sweetwater area has 8.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $943K, 63% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Sweetwater area would have about 2, against 5 on map listings.

How fast is the Sweetwater, TX area growing?

Population estimates put the Sweetwater area at 14,117 people in 2025, down 4.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,886 households. Median household income in the Sweetwater area is $50,747, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 11.4%, 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. 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 Sweetwater area scores 3 for car washes and detailers (very low), #441 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 Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sweetwater 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 Sweetwater 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.