Auto · County · Utah
Car washes and detailers in Salt Lake County, UT
How Salt Lake County, UT 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #541 of 1,451 scored counties
#8 of 14 scored counties in Utah
- Listings
- 188
- 66 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 96
- +39.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $480.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,128 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.4
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,220,916
- +2.9% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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
Households in Salt Lake County spend about $480.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,128 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.6M of household spending for each location on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
Salt Lake County has 188 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 66 are chain locations, or 35%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 4.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 96 businesses with payroll in Salt Lake County classed as car washes, up 39.1% from 2019. That is one for every 4,440 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $11.7M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Salt Lake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Salt Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Salt Lake County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #541 of 1,451 scored counties and #8 of 14 scored counties in Utah.
How Salt Lake County compares
The same measures for Utah 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 | Salt Lake County | Utah | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.4 | 5.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $2.4M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,440 | 4,017 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +39.1% | +60.9% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,128 | $1,224 | $958 |
| Median household income | $97,494 | $95,166 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 69 → 96+39.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 970
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18866 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 191The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $11.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,220,916+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 426,245
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,590
- Median household income
- $97,494+30.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,987
- Median home value
- $525,700
- Jobs located here
- 775,993
- Daytime population
- 1,357,402Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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 Utah
Every Utah market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Utah for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Utah, with Salt Lake County marked.
Top counties in Utah
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tooele County, UT | 80 | 9 | 3.8 | $3.8M | +19.2% | #57 of 1,451 |
| 2Box Elder County, UT | 68 | 9 | 4.6 | $3M | +12.7% | #279 of 1,451 |
| 3Cache County, UT | 64 | 21 | 4.7 | $2.7M | +8.5% | #368 of 1,451 |
| 4Davis County, UT | 63 | 57 | 4.9 | $2.7M | +4.8% | #394 of 1,451 |
| 5Utah County, UT | 62 | 109 | 5.4 | $2.4M | +14.5% | #419 of 1,451 |
| 6Sevier County, UT | 62 | 5 | 6.7 | $1.9M | +5.9% | #425 of 1,451 |
| 7Wasatch County, UT | 62 | 10 | 7.8 | $1.8M | +9.9% | #426 of 1,451 |
| 8Salt Lake County, UT | 57 | 188 | 4.4 | $2.6M | +2.9% | #541 of 1,451 |
| 9Iron County, UT | 57 | 18 | 8.9 | $1.4M | +16.4% | #552 of 1,451 |
| 10Weber County, UT | 53 | 52 | 5.5 | $2.2M | +5.8% | #658 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Salt Lake 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 care59
- Auto repair shops65
- Collision repair and body shops75
- Car washes and detailing57
- Tire shops68
- Oil change and quick lube44
- Gas stations77
- Insurance agencies29
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 Salt Lake County, UT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 188 car washes and detailers in Salt Lake County. 66 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 96 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 39.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Salt Lake County, UT spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $480.7M a year, or $1,128 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 188 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.6M 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 426,245 households in Salt Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salt Lake County, UT compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Salt Lake 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 $2.6M, in line with the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Salt Lake County would have about 191, against 188 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,440 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 39.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Salt Lake County, UT growing?
Population estimates put Salt Lake County at 1,220,916 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 426,245 households. The median household income in Salt Lake County is $97,494 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.2% 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. Salt Lake County scores 57 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #541 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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.