Auto · Metro area · Virginia
Car washes and detailers in the Roanoke, VA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for car washes and detailers in the Roanoke, VA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #262 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 55
- 10 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $121.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $924 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.2
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 316,547
- +0.4% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in the Roanoke metro 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 Roanoke metro area. 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 the Roanoke metro area spend about $121.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $924 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 12% 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 55 car washes and detailers on map listings in the Roanoke metro area as of September 2026. 10 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 4.2 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in the Roanoke metro area classed as car washes. That is one for every 6,262 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $310K has gone to businesses classed as car washes in the Roanoke metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Roanoke metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For car washes and detailers, the Roanoke metro area has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #262 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia.
How the Roanoke metro area 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 | Roanoke metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,262 | 6,997 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +24.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $924 | $968 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,761 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21
- Employees, 2023
- 100
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5510 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $310K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in the Roanoke metro 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 Roanoke metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 316,547+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 131,510
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,868 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 169
- Median household income
- $68,761+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,709
- Median home value
- $251,400
- Jobs located here
- 158,052
- Daytime population
- 332,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Roanoke metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Roanoke metro area. 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 metro areas in Virginia for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Roanoke metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 73 | 552 | 2.3 | $3.9M | +3.3% | #31 of 387 |
| 1Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 68 | 20 | 3.8 | $2.5M | +3.2% | #62 of 387 |
| 2Richmond, VA | 67 | 184 | 3.4 | $2.8M | +5.5% | #68 of 387 |
| 3Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 65 | 23 | 3.3 | $2.9M | −0.1% | #80 of 387 |
| 4Charlottesville, VA | 63 | 31 | 3.4 | $2.9M | +3.1% | #98 of 387 |
| 5Lynchburg, VA | 61 | 41 | 4.0 | $2.5M | +2.9% | #117 of 387 |
| 6Winchester, VA-WV | 53 | 26 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +6.5% | #176 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 52 | 59 | 4.5 | $2.1M | +2.3% | #182 of 387 |
| 7Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 50 | 228 | 3.2 | $2.8M | +0.9% | #188 of 387 |
| 8Roanoke, VA | 42 | 55 | 4.2 | $2.2M | +0.4% | #262 of 387 |
Other business types in the Roanoke metro area
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 care28
- Auto repair shops29
- Collision repair and body shops41
- Car washes and detailing42
- Tire shops39
- Oil change and quick lube25
- Gas stations50
- Insurance agencies51
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 the Roanoke, VA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 car washes and detailers in the Roanoke metro area. 10 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in the Roanoke, VA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $121.6M a year, or $924 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 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 131,510 households in the Roanoke metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Roanoke, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
The Roanoke metro area has 4.2 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.2M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, the Roanoke metro area would have about 48, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,262 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is the Roanoke, VA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Roanoke metro area at 316,547 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 131,510 households. The median household income in the Roanoke metro area is $68,761 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. The Roanoke metro area scores 42 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #262 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Roanoke metro 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 Roanoke metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Roanoke metro 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 Roanoke metro 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.