Auto · County · Wisconsin
Car washes and detailers in Milwaukee County, WI
How Milwaukee County, WI compares with other counties and the U.S. for car washes and detailers: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #672 of 1,451 scored counties
#35 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 118
- 31 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- +13.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $325.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $830 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.0
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 118 car washes and detailers in Milwaukee County. 31 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.0, 21% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Milwaukee County comes to about $325.6M a year: $830 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 118 car washes and detailers, that is $2.8M per location, 10% 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.
Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Milwaukee County in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 9,126 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Milwaukee County.
Population estimates put the population change in Milwaukee County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For car washes and detailers, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #672 of 1,451 scored counties and #35 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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.
| Measure | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $3.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,126 | 9,500 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.2% | +22.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $830 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 43+13.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 323
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11831 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 129The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County. 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for car washes and detailers, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Walworth County, WI | 84 | 11 | 2.6 | $4.7M | +0.8% | #39 of 1,451 |
| 2Oconto County, WI | 84 | 6 | 3.6 | $3.5M | +2.9% | #40 of 1,451 |
| 3Portage County, WI | 80 | 8 | 2.7 | $4.2M | +2.2% | #56 of 1,451 |
| 4Washington County, WI | 80 | 19 | 3.3 | $3.5M | +1.8% | #58 of 1,451 |
| 5Dane County, WI | 78 | 73 | 2.9 | $3.4M | +4.9% | #77 of 1,451 |
| 6Manitowoc County, WI | 77 | 10 | 2.8 | $3.8M | +0.4% | #92 of 1,451 |
| 7Dunn County, WI | 77 | 6 | 3.4 | $3.4M | +1.7% | #95 of 1,451 |
| 8Sauk County, WI | 75 | 9 | 3.2 | $3.5M | +1.3% | #119 of 1,451 |
| 9Marathon County, WI | 75 | 21 | 3.6 | $3.1M | +1.0% | #127 of 1,451 |
| 10Rock County, WI | 75 | 25 | 3.7 | $2.9M | +1.7% | #128 of 1,451 |
| 35Milwaukee County, WI | 52 | 118 | 3.0 | $2.8M | −1.5% | #672 of 1,451 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
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 care51
- Auto repair shops46
- Collision repair and body shops49
- Car washes and detailing52
- Tire shops62
- Oil change and quick lube40
- Gas stations50
- Insurance agencies36
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
There are 118 car washes and detailers on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. 31 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 13.2% from 2019.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $325.6M a year, or $830 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Milwaukee County has 3.0 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.8M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 129, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,126 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 52 for car washes and detailers (upper middle), #672 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.