Auto · County · Virginia
Car washes and detailers in Salem city, VA
The car washes and detailers in Salem city, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,367 of 1,451 scored counties
#54 of 61 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 8
- 3 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $928 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,816
- +1.7% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Salem 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 Salem 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
For car washes and detailers, Salem city has a Groundwork market score of 20 (low): #1,367 of 1,451 scored counties and #54 of 61 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Salem city spend about $9.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $928 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per location, 53% 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 8 car washes and detailers on map listings in Salem city as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 7.8 for every 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 3.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Salem city classed as car washes. That is one for every 3,419 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Population estimates show Salem city grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Salem 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 | Salem city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $3.1M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,419 | 6,997 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +24.3% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $928 | $968 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,725 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 21
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $402K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 83 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Salem 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 Salem city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,816+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,256
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 15 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,765
- Median household income
- $66,725+16.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,247
- Median home value
- $258,600
- Jobs located here
- 21,974
- Daytime population
- 36,320Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salem 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 Salem 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 Salem 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 |
| 54Salem city, VA | 20 | 8 | 7.8 | $1.2M | +1.7% | #1,367 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Salem 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 care17
- Auto repair shops17
- Collision repair and body shops21
- Car washes and detailing20
- Tire shops27
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations53
- Insurance agencies31
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 Salem city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 car washes and detailers in Salem city. 3 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.
How much do households in Salem city, VA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $9.5M a year, or $928 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 10,256 households in Salem city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salem city, VA compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Salem city has 7.8 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $1.2M, 53% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the U.S. ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Salem city would have about 4, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,419 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.
How fast is Salem city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Salem city at 25,816 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,256 households. The median household income in Salem city is $66,725 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.7% 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. Salem city scores 20 for car washes and detailers (low), #1,367 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem 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 Salem city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem 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 Salem 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.