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Sacramento County, CA — Car washes Saturation

How many car washes exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 65 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Car wash tunnels & bays · Self-serve & automatic washes · Detailing (wash-attached). Counted together because official statistics use one 811192 code.

Measured density: Range spans bands — 0.67× the U.S. rate (between 0.67× and 1.53× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 51 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 39 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Range spans the U.S. rate   Sacramento County car washes — 67–153% of the U.S. rate

61 car washes are counted in Sacramento County — 0.3 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 67% of the U.S. rate of 0.5.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has risen 19% between 2015 and 2023 (26 → 31). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 95610 (Citrus Heights), 95829 (Sacramento), 95818 (Sacramento) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 95758 (Elk Grove), 95823 (Sacramento), 95630 (Folsom).

Census County Business Patterns (2023) puts the county-wide count at 94 establishments, including locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA — so it can run slightly above the sum of the ZIP rows on this page. It is annual, so it lags more than QCEW.

Measured density: Sacramento County sits at 67% of the U.S. rate for car washes. 39 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 67% and 153% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 95610 and 95829; the lowest measured density is in 95758 and 95823.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing car washes and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Car washes
61–163
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (51 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
0.3
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
0.5
per 10,000 present
County index
0.67×
vs. U.S.
Latest year (CBP)
94
2023 — $30M annual payroll
Residents
1,596,140
53 ZIPs with data
Workers
531,159
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
1,611,231
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+1.5%
+24,504 people
Net migration 2024
+11,818
international +17,677, domestic −5,859
Jobs located here
712,832
LODES 2022, +4.2% since 2019

Sacramento County had an estimated 1,611,231 residents on July 1, 2024 — 1.5% more than in 2020 (+24,504). In the latest year it gained 16,725 people: births minus deaths +4,923, international migration +17,677, domestic migration −5,859. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

712,832 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+4.2% since 2019), and 704,205 employed residents lived there (+4.2% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
95742 Rancho Cordova
+42.5%
95811 Sacramento
+40.0%
95834 Sacramento
+20.5%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change

No ZIP had a statistically significant decrease.

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses

Not shown. Census publishes only a broader group that also includes oil-change and other auto service shops, so a car-wash-only nonemployer count is not published.

Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (NAICS 2022). We do not approximate this figure.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery.

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more car washes in that ZIP.

Market trend — up 19% since 2015

Number of car washes in Sacramento County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

26
2015
27
2018
24
2020
25
2021
29
2022
31
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
95610 Citrus Heights
351%
95829 Sacramento
241%
95818 Sacramento
241%
95742 Rancho Cordova
239%
95822 Sacramento
206%
95825 Sacramento
199%
95608 Carmichael
180%
95624 Elk Grove
164%
95821 Sacramento
143%
95834 Sacramento
124%
95630 Folsom
123%
95823 Sacramento
88%
95758 Elk Grove
80%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
95758 Elk Grove
80%
95823 Sacramento
88%
95630 Folsom
123%
95834 Sacramento
124%
95821 Sacramento
143%
95624 Elk Grove
164%
95608 Carmichael
180%
95825 Sacramento
199%
95822 Sacramento
206%
95742 Rancho Cordova
239%
95818 Sacramento
241%
95829 Sacramento
241%
95610 Citrus Heights
351%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few car washes may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersCar washesIndex
95652Mcclellan Employment hub 1,4868,141 0–2 —
95814Sacramento Employment hub 12,35527,245 0–2 —
95837Sacramento Destination 3176,430 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = car washes per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersCar washes Per 10kIndexStatus
95610Citrus Heights 46,92810,833 9 1.7 351% Very high density
95829Sacramento 31,8654,112 4 1.2 241% High density
95818Sacramento 22,5815,794 3 1.2 241% High density
95742Rancho Cordova 17,76815,679 3 1.2 239% High density
95822Sacramento 46,5695,958 5 1.0 206% High density
95825Sacramento 36,15630,508 5 1.0 199% High density
95608Carmichael 61,44013,099 6 0.9 180% High density
95624Elk Grove 67,63014,344 6 0.8 164% High density
95821Sacramento 38,0649,351 3 0.7 143% Above average
95834Sacramento 36,24526,787 3 0.6 124% Above average
95630Folsom 79,48440,570 6 0.6 123% Above average
95823Sacramento 83,60718,749 4 0.4 88% Below average
95758Elk Grove 65,72521,861 3 0.4 80% Below average
95628Fair Oaks 44,8557,296 ~1 0.2 42% Far below average
94203Sacramento —1,583 0–2 — — Not published
94208Sacramento —60 0–2 — — Not published
94230Sacramento —113 0–2 — — Not published
95609Carmichael —56 0–2 — — Not published
95611Citrus Heights —363 0–2 — — Not published
95615Courtland 91864 0–2 — — Not published
95621Citrus Heights 42,4424,313 0–2 — — Not published
95626Elverta 5,595273 0–2 — — Not published
95632Galt 32,4934,116 0–2 — — Not published
95638Herald 2,517150 0–2 — — Not published
95641Isleton 2,214446 0–2 — — Not published
95652Mcclellan 1,4868,141 0–2 — — Not published
95655Mather 4,9014,381 0–2 — — Not published
95660North Highlands 35,4517,028 0–2 — — Not published
95662Orangevale 32,6004,470 0–2 — — Not published
95670Rancho Cordova 58,81934,817 0–2 — — Not published
95671Represa 4,43229 0–2 — — Not published
95673Rio Linda 16,5122,263 0–2 — — Not published
95683Sloughhouse 6,515899 0–2 — — Not published
95690Walnut Grove 2,431298 0–2 — — Not published
95693Wilton 7,961710 0–2 — — Not published
95741Rancho Cordova —130 0–2 — — Not published
95757Elk Grove 56,7647,435 0–2 — — Not published
95759Elk Grove —91 0–2 — — Not published
95763Folsom —49 0–2 — — Not published
95811Sacramento 8,81016,766 0–2 — — Not published
95812Sacramento —127 0–2 — — Not published
95813Sacramento —79 0–2 — — Not published
95814Sacramento 12,35527,245 0–2 — — Not published
95815Sacramento 26,65821,756 0–2 — — Not published
95816Sacramento 19,22516,329 0–2 — — Not published
95817Sacramento 14,21915,409 0–2 — — Not published
95819Sacramento 19,7377,936 0–2 — — Not published
95820Sacramento 35,4106,498 0–2 — — Not published
95824Sacramento 33,0834,968 0–2 — — Not published
95826Sacramento 40,16518,300 0–2 — — Not published
95827Sacramento 21,74212,961 0–2 — — Not published
95828Sacramento 61,68618,645 0–2 — — Not published
95830Sacramento 695194 0–2 — — Not published
95831Sacramento 43,5455,181 0–2 — — Not published
95832Sacramento 12,8502,535 0–2 — — Not published
95833Sacramento 42,26512,173 0–2 — — Not published
95835Sacramento 42,0046,273 0–2 — — Not published
95837Sacramento 3176,430 0–2 — — Not published
95838Sacramento 40,6778,409 0–2 — — Not published
95841Sacramento 20,5008,071 0–2 — — Not published
95842Sacramento 34,0343,560 0–2 — — Not published
95843Antelope 47,6953,335 0–2 — — Not published
95860Sacramento —11 0–2 — — Not published
95864Sacramento 25,5003,411 0–2 — — Not published
95865Sacramento —214 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Folsom

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Folsom retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Folsom retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Folsom retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Sacramento County and car washes

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 811192 — car washes. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. This industry has no clean QCEW series, so the freshest county signal is Census County Business Patterns 2023: 94 establishments and $30M in annual payroll county-wide. This count includes locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA, so it can be slightly higher than the sum of the ZIP rows. CBP is annual and slower than QCEW. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (0.49 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.