NAICS 811192

Car Washes in California

Establishments primarily engaged in cleaning, washing and waxing automotive vehicles, including self-service and express tunnel operations.

Establishments (2023)
2,231
Statewide, California
Employees
23,493
Mid-March employment
Annual payroll
$743M
All establishments
Avg. establishment size
10.5
Employees per establishment

What acquirers look at

Subscription membership models converted this from a cash business into an institutional asset class. Expect real-estate-driven pricing rather than earnings multiples.

Car Wash by county

Ranked by establishment count, 2023 County Business Patterns. For the crowded-versus-underserved reading, see the saturation ranking, which ranks by establishments per resident instead.

#CountyEstablishmentsPer 10k residentsShare of state
1Los Angeles County5910.626.5%
2Orange County2300.710.3%
3San Diego County1850.68.3%
4San Bernardino County1610.77.2%
5Riverside County1470.66.6%
6Sacramento County940.64.2%
7Alameda County770.53.5%
8Santa Clara County740.43.3%
9Fresno County570.62.6%
10San Joaquin County510.62.3%
11Ventura County500.62.2%
12Kern County470.52.1%
13Contra Costa County440.42.0%
14Stanislaus County410.71.8%
15San Mateo County360.51.6%
16Santa Barbara County280.61.3%
17Solano County280.61.3%
18Sonoma County280.61.3%
19Tulare County250.51.1%
20Placer County240.51.1%
21Monterey County190.40.9%
22Merced County180.60.8%
23San Luis Obispo County160.60.7%
24San Francisco County150.20.7%
25Marin County130.50.6%

Counties in California

Car Wash in Los AngelesCar Wash in San DiegoCar Wash in OrangeCar Wash in RiversideCar Wash in San BernardinoCar Wash in Santa ClaraCar Wash in AlamedaCar Wash in SacramentoCar Wash in Contra CostaCar Wash in FresnoCar Wash in KernCar Wash in VenturaCar Wash in San FranciscoCar Wash in San JoaquinCar Wash in San MateoCar Wash in StanislausCar Wash in SonomaCar Wash in TulareCar Wash in SolanoCar Wash in PlacerCar Wash in Santa BarbaraCar Wash in MontereyCar Wash in MercedCar Wash in San Luis ObispoCar Wash in Santa CruzCar Wash in MarinCar Wash in YoloCar Wash in ButteCar Wash in El DoradoCar Wash in ShastaCar Wash in ImperialCar Wash in MaderaCar Wash in KingsCar Wash in NapaCar Wash in HumboldtCar Wash in NevadaCar Wash in SutterCar Wash in YubaCar Wash in MendocinoCar Wash in San BenitoLakeCar Wash in TehamaCar Wash in TuolumneCalaverasSiskiyouAmadorGlennLassenDel NorteColusaPlumasInyoMariposaTrinityMonoModocSierraAlpine

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.