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Car washes and detailers in Marathon County, WI

The car washes and detailers in Marathon County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #127 of 1,451 scored counties
#9 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
21
4 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$65.2M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,127 a household
Spending per listing
$3.1M
23% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.6
5% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
139,432
+1.0% since 2020

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

Marathon County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, ranking #127 of 1,451 scored counties and #9 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.

As of September 2026, map listings count 21 car washes and detailers in Marathon County. 4 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 3.6 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.

At $1,127 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in Marathon County spend about $65.2M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 21 car washes and detailers, that is $3.1M per location, 23% above 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Marathon County classed as car washes. That is one for every 9,644 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.1M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Marathon County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Marathon County grew 1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Marathon County compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Marathon County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureMarathon CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.63.33.8
Spending per listing$3.1M$3.2M$2.5M
Households per official establishment9,6449,5006,523
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+22.0%+16.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.0%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,127$1,061$958
Median household income$77,884$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score7574

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 6
Employees, 2023
63
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
214 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$1.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
139,432+1.0% since 2020
Households
57,866
Median age
42.0
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,545 sq. mi.
People per square mile
90
Median household income
$77,884+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,899
Median home value
$219,600
Jobs located here
72,449
Daytime population
141,458Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Marathon 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 Marathon 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 Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

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

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for car washes and detailers by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Walworth County, WI84112.6$4.7M+0.8%#39 of 1,451
2Oconto County, WI8463.6$3.5M+2.9%#40 of 1,451
3Portage County, WI8082.7$4.2M+2.2%#56 of 1,451
4Washington County, WI80193.3$3.5M+1.8%#58 of 1,451
5Dane County, WI78732.9$3.4M+4.9%#77 of 1,451
6Manitowoc County, WI77102.8$3.8M+0.4%#92 of 1,451
7Dunn County, WI7763.4$3.4M+1.7%#95 of 1,451
8Sauk County, WI7593.2$3.5M+1.3%#119 of 1,451
9Marathon County, WI75213.6$3.1M+1.0%#127 of 1,451
10Rock County, WI75253.7$2.9M+1.7%#128 of 1,451

Other business types in Marathon County

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

Questions

How many car washes and detailers are in Marathon County, WI?

Marathon County has 21 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023.

How much do households in Marathon County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $65.2M a year, or $1,127 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 57,866 households in Marathon County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Marathon County has 3.6 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $3.1M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Marathon County would have about 26, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,644 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S.

How fast is Marathon County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Marathon County at 139,432 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 57,866 households. Median household income in Marathon County is $77,884, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Marathon County scores 75 for car washes and detailers (high), #127 of 1,451 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Marathon 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 Marathon 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.