Car Washes Help Maintain What May Be the Second-Largest Investment Many Will Make

For many Americans, their car, SUV or pick-up truck is the second-most expensive item (after a house) that they will purchase and maintaining that investment on wheels is paramount. And because many see their cars as an extension of their personality, maintaining an image by keeping their cars clean also matters.

While some may cherish pulling out a hose, wash mitt and soap to give their “baby” a customized shine, others opt for a more convenient ritual: trips to the local car wash.

California had more car washes than any other state and the highest total car wash sales ($1.6 billion) in 2017, according to the 2017 Economic Census. However, the District of Columbia, which had few car washes for its population, ranked first in average sales ($879,000) per car wash.

According to the 2019 County Business Patterns program, there were 16,976 Car Washes with paid employees in the United States, 6.8% or 1,074 more than in 2015.

These businesses had 163,178 workers (up from 153,970 in 2015) who earned an average annual salary of $21,911 (up from $18,703 in 2015).

California, the state with the largest population and a legendary love of the automobile, not surprisingly ranked first in the number of car washes and car wash employees in 2019 (2,025 and 24,851, respectively).

But Florida added the most car washes — 225 or 21.1% — from 2015 to 2019. The District of Columbia saw the highest percentage increase in the number of car washes, up 30.0%, from 10 to 13 during the same period.

Still, New Hampshire may be among the best for car wash workers. The Granite State had one of the nation’s highest average annual payroll per car wash employee in 2019: $32,407, compared to $21,911 for the nation.

The District of Columbia had the lowest car wash-to-population ratio — one for every 54,288 people — which may make it a prime location for new car wash businesses.

In contrast, Wyoming had one car wash for every 10,335 people.

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