Auto · County · Virginia
Car washes and detailers in Portsmouth city, VA
The car washes and detailers in Portsmouth city, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,158 of 1,451 scored counties
#43 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 14
- 3 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $30.2M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $749 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.5
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 96,777
- −1.2% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Portsmouth city
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 Portsmouth city. 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
Portsmouth city scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #1,158 of 1,451 scored counties and #43 of 61 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $749 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Portsmouth city spend about $30.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 14% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers.
There are 14 car washes and detailers on map listings in Portsmouth city as of September 2026. 3 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.5, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Portsmouth city classed as car washes. That is one for every 5,755 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Population estimates show Portsmouth city declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Portsmouth city 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.
| Measure | Portsmouth city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,755 | 6,997 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +24.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $749 | $968 | $958 |
| Median household income | $60,491 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 49
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 143 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 Portsmouth city, 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 Portsmouth city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 96,777−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 40,288
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 33 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,919
- Median household income
- $60,491+15.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,856
- Median home value
- $246,900
- Jobs located here
- 32,664
- Daytime population
- 87,378Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portsmouth city?
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 Portsmouth city. 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Portsmouth city marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fauquier County, VA | 89 | 7 | 2.6 | $4.7M | +4.8% | #10 of 1,451 |
| 2Frederick County, VA | 83 | 10 | 2.8 | $3.9M | +8.8% | #44 of 1,451 |
| 3Stafford County, VA | 80 | 23 | 4.4 | $2.8M | +8.3% | #61 of 1,451 |
| 4Bedford County, VA | 79 | 8 | 2.4 | $4.6M | +4.4% | #64 of 1,451 |
| 5Orange County, VA | 79 | 6 | 4.0 | $2.8M | +10.1% | #71 of 1,451 |
| 6James City County, VA | 77 | 5 | 1.6 | $6.5M | +6.2% | #87 of 1,451 |
| 7Augusta County, VA | 77 | 6 | 1.9 | $5.6M | +1.8% | #88 of 1,451 |
| 8Fairfax County, VA | 76 | 72 | 1.7 | $5.8M | +1.7% | #104 of 1,451 |
| 9Louisa County, VA | 76 | 6 | 3.9 | $3.1M | +13.6% | #111 of 1,451 |
| 10Prince William County, VA | 74 | 35 | 2.2 | $5M | +4.2% | #133 of 1,451 |
| 43Portsmouth city, VA | 32 | 14 | 3.5 | $2.2M | −1.2% | #1,158 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Portsmouth city
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 care25
- Auto repair shops23
- Collision repair and body shops46
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops18
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations55
- Insurance agencies72
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 Portsmouth city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 car washes and detailers in Portsmouth city. 3 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Portsmouth city, VA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $30.2M a year, or $749 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 40,288 households in Portsmouth city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portsmouth city, VA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Portsmouth city has 3.5 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.2M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Portsmouth city would have about 12, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,755 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Portsmouth city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Portsmouth city at 96,777 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 40,288 households. The median household income in Portsmouth city is $60,491 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.9% 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. Portsmouth city scores 32 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #1,158 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portsmouth city. 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 Portsmouth city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portsmouth city?
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 Portsmouth city. 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.