Auto · County · Wisconsin
Car washes and detailers in Portage County, WI
The car washes and detailers in Portage County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #56 of 1,451 scored counties
#3 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 8
- 2 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $33.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,136 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 67% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.7
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,943
- +2.2% since 2020
See the car washes and detailers around any address in Portage 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 Portage 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
The Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers in Portage County is 80 (high), #56 of 1,451 scored counties and #3 of 36 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for car washes and detailers.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 car washes and detailers in Portage County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 25%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.7, 29% below the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Portage County spend about $33.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,136 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 67% 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as car washes in Portage County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2M has gone to businesses classed as car washes in Portage County. Population estimates show Portage County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Portage 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 | Portage County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.7 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $3.2M | $2.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 9,500 | 6,523 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +22.0% | +16.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,136 | $1,061 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,070 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 74 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 82 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as car washes in Portage 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 Portage County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,943+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 29,679
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 801 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $76,070+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,142
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 33,759
- Daytime population
- 69,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 Portage 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 |
Other business types in Portage 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 care74
- Auto repair shops67
- Collision repair and body shops59
- Car washes and detailing80
- Tire shops82
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations74
- 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 Portage County, WI?
There are 8 car washes and detailers on map listings in Portage County as of September 2026. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. No official count is published for car washes in Portage County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Portage County, WI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $33.7M a year, or $1,136 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $4.2M 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 29,679 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portage County, WI compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Portage County has 2.7 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $4.2M, 67% above the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Portage County would have about 13, against 8 on map listings.
How fast is Portage County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Portage County at 71,943 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,679 households. Median household income in Portage County is $76,070, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.3%, 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. Portage County scores 80 for car washes and detailers (high), #56 of 1,451 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portage 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 Portage County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.