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County market analysis · Data updated · June 9, 2026
Car Washes in Manatee County, FL
Manatee County, FL has 47 car washes across 12 chains and 26 independents, drawing 19,737 Google reviews with a 1.4% reviewer-reported damage rate. It skews detail shop (49% of locations) and is a mix of chains and independents; its washes rate well above the national norm at 4.61★. The BLS counts 36 car-wash employer establishments in the county paying a $31,340 average wage.
Manatee County at a glance
- Car washes
- 47
- 55% independent
- Top operator
- Sun & Suds Car Wash
- 3 locations
- Avg rating
- 4.61★
- +0.20 vs U.S. norm
- Damage rate
- 1.4%
- Top format
- detail shop
- 49% of classified
- BLS establishments
- 36
- employer businesses (QCEW)
Market Quality snapshot
- Population
- 416,020
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Households
- 168,504
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Residents per wash
- 8,851
- 4.6× the national MSA median — lighter supply
- Express tunnels per 10K households
- 1.2
- above ~1.0 — contested · classified sites
Official footprint · BLS QCEW 2024
36
Employer establishments
412
Industry jobs
$31,340
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 Manatee County, FL
Customer-experience signals
Net sentiment (−1 to +1) across 8,437 AI-analyzed reviews. Positive = more praise than complaints.
Price & value
+0.30
Speed & wait
+0.61
Wash quality
+0.77
Customer service
+0.88
Equipment reliability
-0.31
Facilities
+0.85
Membership value
+0.13
Top operators in Manatee County, FL
| Operator | Locations | Avg rating |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & Suds Car Wash | 3 | 4.59 |
| Big Dan's Car Wash | 3 | 4.74 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 3 | 4.75 |
| Coastal Express Car Wash | 2 | 4.70 |
| River Club Car Wash | 2 | 4.37 |
| Circle K | 2 | 4.05 |
| Take 5 Car Wash | 1 | 4.30 |
| Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 1 | 4.70 |
| Sud Stop Car Wash | 1 | 4.70 |
| Sage Auto Studios | 1 | 4.90 |
| Techwash Fredonia | 1 | 4.00 |
| Clean Freak Car Wash | 1 | 4.60 |
Car washes in Manatee County, FL
| Car wash | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & Suds Car Wash | 4.5 | 1,721 |
| Jax Kar Wash | 4.3 | 1,539 |
| Sun & Suds Car wash | 4.6 | 1,388 |
| Coastal Express Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,269 |
| Take 5 Car Wash | 4.3 | 1,219 |
| Sun & Suds Car Wash | 4.7 | 1,180 |
| Big Dan's Car Wash | 4.8 | 1,140 |
| Big Dan's Car Wash | 4.7 | 926 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.8 | 803 |
| Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 4.7 | 668 |
| Optimus Car Wash | 4.6 | 664 |
| Sud Stop Car Wash | 4.7 | 662 |
| River Club Car Wash | 4.3 | 661 |
| Big Dan's Car Wash | 4.7 | 612 |
| SuperSuds Car Wash | 4.5 | 482 |
| Coastal Express Car Wash | 4.7 | 450 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.7 | 445 |
| Sage Auto Studios | 4.9 | 433 |
| Classy Customs | 5.0 | 396 |
| River Club Car Wash | 4.5 | 382 |
| Suds it Up Car Wash | 4.0 | 354 |
| Coast 2 Coast Car Wash and Detailing | 4.5 | 331 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.7 | 257 |
| Absolute Perfection Mobile Detailing,LLC. | 4.9 | 220 |
| Liquid Shine Elite Mobile Detailing | 5.0 | 211 |
| Remarkable Detailing | 4.9 | 159 |
| Tony's Mobile Detailing | 5.0 | 147 |
| Jonesy Auto Detailing | 5.0 | 140 |
| Autodetailing Hand A-1 services llc | 5.0 | 91 |
| Circle K | Car Wash | 4.2 | 75 |
| Car Wash on 5th | 4.6 | 73 |
| West Coast Shine Detailing & Ceramic Coating | 5.0 | 66 |
| Fly & Shine Mobile Detailing | 5.0 | 62 |
| Outlaw Detailing | 5.0 | 59 |
| My Detail Guy, Inc. | 4.9 | 58 |
| Mirror Image Auto Detail LLC | 5.0 | 29 |
| Mark Supply, Inc. | 4.5 | 29 |
| Clean Freak Car Wash | 4.6 | 26 |
| Pro Buff Mobile Detailing | 3.9 | 22 |
| Shine On Auto Detailing LLC | 5.0 | 21 |
| Sarasota Motorcycle Detailing Service LLC | 5.0 | 18 |
| Evolution Detailing and Ceramic Coatings | 5.0 | 18 |
| Premier Mobile Detailing LLC. | 5.0 | 15 |
| Circle K | Car Wash | 3.2 | 13 |
| Blessed by the best Car wash | 4.7 | 10 |
| The Boat Steward | 4.2 | 10 |
| Shine Shop SRQ | 5.0 | 10 |
Frequently Asked Questions
About Manatee County, FL
How many car washes are in Manatee County, FL?
+
WashIndex tracks 47 car washes in Manatee County, FL — 12 chain operators and 26 independents. The BLS separately counts 36 car-wash employer establishments (businesses with payroll) in the county.
What is the most common type of car wash in Manatee County, FL?
+
Detail Shop is the most common format in Manatee County, FL, with 23 of 47 locations.
How much do car wash workers make in Manatee County, FL?
+
Car-wash employees in Manatee County earn about $31,340 per year on average (BLS QCEW, 2024), across roughly 412 jobs.
Cite this page
Data as of 2026-06-09. Pick a format and click Copy.
APA
WashIndex. (2026, June 9). Car Washes in Manatee County, FL — Market Analysis & Statistics. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/manatee-county-fl
Chicago
WashIndex. "Car Washes in Manatee County, FL — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex. Last modified June 9, 2026. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/manatee-county-fl.
MLA
"Car Washes in Manatee County, FL — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex, Jun. 9, 2026, https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/manatee-county-fl.
BibTeX
@misc{washindex_car_wash_counties_manatee_county_fl_2026,
title = {{Car Washes in Manatee County, FL — Market Analysis & Statistics}},
author = {{WashIndex}},
year = {2026},
month = {Jun},
url = {https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/manatee-county-fl},
urldate = {2026-06-09},
} Per-location car-wash data for Manatee County, FL (format, operators, AI-scored review signals) joined to the county's official BLS footprint. See the North Port metro analysis · methodology. Free to cite with attribution to WashIndex.