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County market analysis · Data updated · September 26, 2026
Car Washes in Cook County, IL
Cook County, IL has 451 car washes across 48 chains and 184 independents, drawing 104,363 Google reviews with a 2.9% reviewer-reported damage rate. It skews in-bay automatic (33% of locations) and is a mix of chains and independents; its washes rate about average at 4.21★. The BLS counts 238 car-wash employer establishments in the county paying a $32,227 average wage.
Cook County at a glance
- Car washes
- 451
- 41% independent
- Top operator
- bp
- 79 locations
- Avg rating
- 4.21★
- -0.20 vs U.S. norm
- Damage rate
- 2.9%
- 1.9× U.S. norm
- Top format
- in-bay automatic
- 33% of classified
- BLS establishments
- 238
- employer businesses (QCEW)
Market Quality snapshot
- Population
- 5,185,812
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Households
- 2,084,578
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Residents per wash
- 11,498
- 5.9× the national MSA median — lighter supply
- Express tunnels per 10K households
- 0.5
- below the ~0.5 expandable band · classified sites
Official footprint · BLS QCEW 2024
238
Employer establishments
2,028
Industry jobs
$32,227
Avg annual wage
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW (private, NAICS 811192). Counts employer establishments — a narrower universe than all physical wash locations. “—” = withheld by BLS for disclosure.
Format mix in Cook County, IL
Customer-experience signals
Net sentiment (−1 to +1) across 29,197 AI-analyzed reviews. Positive = more praise than complaints.
Price & value
+0.23
Speed & wait
+0.42
Wash quality
+0.62
Customer service
+0.68
Equipment reliability
-0.56
Facilities
+0.70
Membership value
+0.02
Top operators in Cook County, IL
| Operator | Locations | Avg rating |
|---|---|---|
| bp | 79 | 3.45 |
| Shell | 51 | 3.42 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 18 | 4.15 |
| Fuller's Car Wash | 10 | 3.98 |
| Circle K | 10 | 2.91 |
| Rainstorm Car Wash | 8 | 3.99 |
| Gas N Wash | 7 | 4.17 |
| Express Car Wash | 6 | 4.10 |
| WashU Car Wash | 5 | 4.56 |
| Everclean Car Wash | 5 | 4.61 |
| Dream Clean Car Wash | 5 | 4.21 |
| CARRECTLY | 5 | 4.76 |
| Driven Car Wash | 4 | 4.67 |
| Spirit of America Car Wash | 4 | 3.66 |
| Zips Car Wash | 3 | 4.47 |
| Eco Brite Car Wash | 2 | 4.45 |
| We Wash Hand Car Wash and Detail Center | 2 | 3.75 |
| Birdies $5 Car Wash | 2 | 4.80 |
| Waterway Carwash | 2 | 3.75 |
| Clearwave Car Wash | 2 | 4.23 |
Car washes in Cook County, IL
| Car wash | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| WashU Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,565 |
| Fullerton Express Car Wash | 4.2 | 1,393 |
| Everclean Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,271 |
| Rainstorm Car Wash | 3.9 | 1,204 |
| Express Car Wash | 4.1 | 1,169 |
| Driven Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,161 |
| Raceway Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,115 |
| Capital Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,106 |
| Elston Hand Car Wash, LLC | 4.4 | 1,083 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.2 | 1,053 |
| Driven Car Wash | 4.6 | 1,044 |
| Wet Spot Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,043 |
| Driven Car Wash | 4.8 | 1,043 |
| Jet Brite Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,038 |
| Jet Brite Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,026 |
| Norwood Hand Car Wash | 4.3 | 1,018 |
| 123 Hand Car Wash | 4.1 | 981 |
| Rainstorm Car Wash | 4.3 | 958 |
| WashU Car Wash | 4.3 | 931 |
| Fullers Car Wash | 3.9 | 920 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.2 | 905 |
| Driven Car Wash | 4.7 | 904 |
| Western Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.1 | 877 |
| Fuller's Carwash | 3.9 | 866 |
| Dream Clean Car Wash | 4.4 | 851 |
| Eco Brite Car Wash | 4.5 | 819 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.3 | 801 |
| Zippy's Car Wash | 4.5 | 792 |
| Crystal Car Wash | 4.3 | 757 |
| Express Car Wash | 4.1 | 756 |
| Evanston Car Wash and Detail Center | 4.1 | 739 |
| Jet Brite Car Wash | 4.4 | 728 |
| We Wash Hand Car Wash and Detail Center | 3.7 | 726 |
| Express Car Wash | 4.0 | 724 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.2 | 714 |
| Easy Clean Car Wash | 4.3 | 705 |
| Fuller's Car Wash | 4.1 | 695 |
| Everclean Car Wash | 4.7 | 688 |
| All Seasons Hand Car Wash and Detail Shop | 4.0 | 677 |
| Fuller's Car Wash | 3.8 | 665 |
| Aqualux Auto Spa - Hand Car Wash, Detailing, Tints, Ceramic Coating, Paint Protection Film | 4.6 | 664 |
| Fuller's Car Wash | 4.0 | 659 |
| We Wash Hand Car Wash and Detail Center | 3.8 | 658 |
| Rainstorm Car Wash | 3.9 | 651 |
| Birdie’s $5 Car Wash | 4.8 | 648 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.2 | 640 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.3 | 618 |
| WashU Car Wash | 4.9 | 616 |
| Buddy Bear Car Wash | 4.2 | 616 |
| Everclean Car Wash | 4.6 | 615 |
| Car Wash | 4.0 | 600 |
| Dream Clean Car Wash | 4.4 | 592 |
| Fullers Car Care | 4.3 | 581 |
| Wise Hand Car Wash & Detail | 4.0 | 573 |
| Stony Hand Carwash | 3.3 | 571 |
| Everclean Car Wash | 4.4 | 565 |
| Royal Touch Car Wash & Detailing | 3.6 | 557 |
| Express Car Wash | 4.3 | 549 |
| State Street Hand Car Wash | 3.5 | 546 |
| Bert’s Car Wash | 4.3 | 546 |
Showing the 60 most-reviewed of 451 car washes in Cook County, IL.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Cook County, IL
How many car washes are in Cook County, IL?
+
WashIndex tracks 451 car washes in Cook County, IL — 48 chain operators and 184 independents. The BLS separately counts 238 car-wash employer establishments (businesses with payroll) in the county.
What is the most common type of car wash in Cook County, IL?
+
In-Bay Automatic is the most common format in Cook County, IL, with 150 of 451 locations.
How much do car wash workers make in Cook County, IL?
+
Car-wash employees in Cook County earn about $32,227 per year on average (BLS QCEW, 2024), across roughly 2,028 jobs.
Cite this page
Data as of 2026-09-26. Pick a format and click Copy.
APA
WashIndex. (2026, September 26). Car Washes in Cook County, IL — Market Analysis & Statistics. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/cook-county-il
Chicago
WashIndex. "Car Washes in Cook County, IL — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/cook-county-il.
MLA
"Car Washes in Cook County, IL — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex, Sep. 26, 2026, https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/cook-county-il.
BibTeX
@misc{washindex_car_wash_counties_cook_county_il_2026,
title = {{Car Washes in Cook County, IL — Market Analysis & Statistics}},
author = {{WashIndex}},
year = {2026},
month = {Sep},
url = {https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/cook-county-il},
urldate = {2026-09-26},
} Per-location car-wash data for Cook County, IL (format, operators, AI-scored review signals) joined to the county's official BLS footprint. See the Chicago metro analysis · methodology. Free to cite with attribution to WashIndex.