811192/Car Washes
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
173K
employees, 2023
173K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 19,807 US Car Washes business locations employed 172,644 people and paid $5.1 billion in annual payroll, $29,378 per employee on average. Employment was up 3.8% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
19,807
+1.8% vs 2022
Employees
172,644
+3.8% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$5.1B
+9.5% vs 2022
Average pay
$29,378
+5.5% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Car Washes in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,231 | 23,493 | $31,634 | 0.14% |
| Texas | 1,858 | 21,902 | $26,797 | 0.18% |
| Florida | 1,668 | 12,138 | $29,349 | 0.12% |
| New York | 964 | 7,890 | $30,593 | 0.09% |
| Georgia | 691 | 6,318 | $33,063 | 0.14% |
| Illinois | 783 | 6,215 | $27,688 | 0.11% |
| North Carolina | 615 | 6,166 | $23,718 | 0.14% |
| New Jersey | 661 | 6,073 | $38,537 | 0.15% |
| Ohio | 716 | 5,733 | $27,468 | 0.11% |
| Michigan | 668 | 5,290 | $26,179 | 0.13% |
| Arizona | 402 | 5,068 | $28,749 | 0.18% |
| Virginia | 481 | 4,560 | $29,398 | 0.13% |
| Pennsylvania | 628 | 4,240 | $26,872 | 0.07% |
| Missouri | 374 | 3,807 | $28,820 | 0.14% |
| Indiana | 417 | 3,632 | $25,784 | 0.12% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Car Washes employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,112 | 10,138 | $35,011 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 821 | 8,181 | $31,267 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 430 | 6,308 | $27,112 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 487 | 5,596 | $27,087 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 547 | 4,487 | $28,985 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 262 | 3,862 | $28,326 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 407 | 3,738 | $31,886 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 420 | 3,266 | $33,480 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 308 | 3,179 | $27,406 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 263 | 3,098 | $32,698 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 333 | 2,897 | $24,140 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 193 | 2,746 | $22,636 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 185 | 2,715 | $35,473 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 337 | 2,688 | $28,334 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 162 | 2,528 | $23,995 |
Business size
US Car Washes business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 10,352 | 52.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 3,665 | 18.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 3,727 | 18.8% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,697 | 8.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 322 | 1.6% |
| 100 to 249 | 30 | 0.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 10 | 0.1% |
| 500 to 999 | Not published | - |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Other Services (except Public Administration) 81Repair and Maintenance 811Automotive Repair and Maintenance 8111Other Automotive Repair and Maintenance 81119
Questions and answers
How many people work in Car Washes in the US?
172,644 people worked at 19,807 US Car Washes business locations in 2023, up 3.8% from 2022. That is 0.12% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Car Washes?
$29,378 a year per employee in 2023, from $5.1 billion in annual payroll (up 5.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Car Washes jobs?
California had the most, with 23,493 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (21,902) and Florida (12,138).
Which metro areas have the most Car Washes jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (10,138), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (8,181), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (6,308) had the most Car Washes employees in 2023.
Are most Car Washes businesses small?
89.6% of the 19,803 Car Washes business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 0 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.