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Car washes and detailers in Fairfax County, VA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 76 out of 100: High

Ranked #104 of 1,451 scored counties
#8 of 61 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
72
19 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
45
+28.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$414.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,000 a household
Spending per listing
$5.8M
2.3 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
1.7
55% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,167,873
+1.7% since 2020

See the car washes and detailers around any address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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

Fairfax County scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #104 of 1,451 scored counties and #8 of 61 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.

As of September 2026, map listings count 72 car washes and detailers in Fairfax County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 1.7 per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.

Households in Fairfax County spend about $414.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,000 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $5.8M per location, 2.3 times 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.

Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Fairfax County in 2023, up 28.6% from 2019. That is one for every 9,202 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $196K have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Fairfax County. Population estimates put the population change in Fairfax County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Fairfax County compares

The same measures for Virginia 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 Fairfax County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureFairfax CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households1.73.13.8
Spending per listing$5.8M$3.1M$2.5M
Households per official establishment9,2026,9976,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+28.6%+24.3%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,000$968$958
Median household income$153,637$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score7667

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
35 → 45+28.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
585
Annual payroll, 2023
$23.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
7219 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
164The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$196K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
1,167,873+1.7% since 2020
Households
414,101
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
391 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,935
Median household income
$153,637+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$195,941
Median home value
$732,800
Jobs located here
683,496
Daytime population
1,295,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Fairfax County marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fauquier County, VA8972.6$4.7M+4.8%#10 of 1,451
2Frederick County, VA83102.8$3.9M+8.8%#44 of 1,451
3Stafford County, VA80234.4$2.8M+8.3%#61 of 1,451
4Bedford County, VA7982.4$4.6M+4.4%#64 of 1,451
5Orange County, VA7964.0$2.8M+10.1%#71 of 1,451
6James City County, VA7751.6$6.5M+6.2%#87 of 1,451
7Augusta County, VA7761.9$5.6M+1.8%#88 of 1,451
8Fairfax County, VA76721.7$5.8M+1.7%#104 of 1,451
9Louisa County, VA7663.9$3.1M+13.6%#111 of 1,451
10Prince William County, VA74352.2$5M+4.2%#133 of 1,451

Other business types in Fairfax County

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

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Fairfax County, VA?

Fairfax County has 72 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 28.6% from 2019.

How much do households in Fairfax County, VA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $414.2M a year, or $1,000 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 72 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $5.8M 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 414,101 households in Fairfax County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Fairfax County has 1.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 55% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $5.8M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Fairfax County would have about 164, against 72 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,202 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 28.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Fairfax County, VA growing?

Population estimates put Fairfax County at 1,167,873 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 414,101 households. Median household income in Fairfax County is $153,637, 90% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.1%, 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. Fairfax County scores 76 for car washes and detailers (high), #104 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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.