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County market analysis · Data updated · September 26, 2026
Car Washes in Polk County, IA
Polk County, IA has 73 car washes across 14 chains and 26 independents, drawing 16,592 Google reviews with a 2.3% reviewer-reported damage rate. It skews express tunnel (33% of locations) and is a mix of chains and independents; its washes rate about average at 4.24★. The BLS counts 48 car-wash employer establishments in the county paying a $33,730 average wage.
Polk County at a glance
- Car washes
- 73
- 36% independent
- Top operator
- Mister Car Wash
- 11 locations
- Avg rating
- 4.24★
- -0.18 vs U.S. norm
- Damage rate
- 2.3%
- 1.5× U.S. norm
- Top format
- express tunnel
- 33% of classified
- BLS establishments
- 48
- employer businesses (QCEW)
Market Quality snapshot
- Population
- 497,441
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Households
- 202,404
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Residents per wash
- 6,814
- 3.5× the national MSA median — lighter supply
- Express tunnels per 10K households
- 1.2
- above ~1.0 — contested · classified sites
Official footprint · BLS QCEW 2024
48
Employer establishments
423
Industry jobs
$33,730
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 Polk County, IA
Customer-experience signals
Net sentiment (−1 to +1) across 5,018 AI-analyzed reviews. Positive = more praise than complaints.
Price & value
-0.04
Speed & wait
+0.55
Wash quality
+0.55
Customer service
+0.74
Equipment reliability
-0.53
Facilities
+0.64
Membership value
-0.02
Top operators in Polk County, IA
| Operator | Locations | Avg rating |
|---|---|---|
| Mister Car Wash | 11 | 4.21 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 6 | 3.69 |
| bp | 6 | 3.72 |
| Rocket Carwash | 4 | 4.28 |
| Spotfree Car Wash | 4 | 4.13 |
| Champion Xpress Carwash | 3 | 4.56 |
| Executive Laser Wash | 3 | 3.94 |
| Oasis Car Wash | 2 | 4.26 |
| Valley West Car Wash | 2 | 4.55 |
| Altoona Laserwash | 2 | 3.50 |
| Blue Beacon | 1 | 4.10 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 1 | 4.80 |
| Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 1 | 4.50 |
| Clean Works Car Wash | 1 | 3.50 |
Car washes in Polk County, IA
| Car wash | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Mister Car Wash | 4.0 | 1,141 |
| Shine Shop Carwash | 4.2 | 855 |
| Blue Beacon Truck Wash of Des Moines, IA | 4.1 | 779 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.5 | 639 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.2 | 616 |
| Rocket Carwash | 4.5 | 616 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 611 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 468 |
| Champion Xpress Carwash | 4.6 | 468 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 437 |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.8 | 430 |
| Oasis Car Wash | 4.4 | 394 |
| Shine Shop Carwash | 4.1 | 381 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.3 | 372 |
| Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 4.5 | 368 |
| Executive Laser Wash | 4.0 | 350 |
| Oasis Car Wash - Altoona | 4.1 | 338 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.3 | 332 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.9 | 310 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.7 | 309 |
| Spotfree Car Wash | 4.3 | 307 |
| Spotfree Car Wash | 4.0 | 298 |
| Fleur Car Wash | 4.1 | 281 |
| OCDetailing | 5.0 | 269 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.8 | 263 |
| Executive Laser Wash | 3.9 | 261 |
| Shine Shop Carwash | 4.3 | 257 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.5 | 241 |
| Executive Laser Wash | 3.9 | 240 |
| Dynamic Auto Detailing | 4.9 | 235 |
| DSM Detailing | 4.9 | 215 |
| Spotfree Car Wash | 4.2 | 203 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.4 | 193 |
| Spotfree Car Wash | 4.0 | 188 |
| Valley West Corner Store | 4.6 | 185 |
| Mister Car Wash | 4.6 | 179 |
| Altoona Laserwash | 3.5 | 165 |
| Park Avenue Car Wash | 3.9 | 156 |
| Hanson Auto Spa | 5.0 | 148 |
| Laserwash of Urbandale | 3.5 | 139 |
| Doctor Detail Des Moines | 4.9 | 130 |
| A & A Auto Detailing | 5.0 | 128 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.2 | 114 |
| Touch N Go Carwash | 4.1 | 114 |
| DobsonDetails Auto Detailing | 5.0 | 110 |
| Clean Works Car Wash | 3.5 | 104 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.3 | 102 |
| Midwest Auto Detailers | 4.9 | 74 |
| Birchwood Car Wash | 4.2 | 73 |
| Des Moines Auto Detail | 5.0 | 72 |
| Perk's Auto Spa | 4.9 | 71 |
| Champion Xpress Carwash | 4.4 | 70 |
| Majestic Mobile Detailing LLC | 5.0 | 70 |
| 515 Mobile Detailing | 4.4 | 67 |
| Ultimate Auto Wash | 3.6 | 63 |
| Johnston Super Wash | 2.1 | 60 |
| Four-Mile Car Wash | 3.7 | 58 |
| bp | 3.7 | 57 |
| Master Mobile Detailing | 4.6 | 45 |
| bp | 4.1 | 45 |
Showing the 60 most-reviewed of 73 car washes in Polk County, IA.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Polk County, IA
How many car washes are in Polk County, IA?
+
WashIndex tracks 73 car washes in Polk County, IA — 14 chain operators and 26 independents. The BLS separately counts 48 car-wash employer establishments (businesses with payroll) in the county.
What is the most common type of car wash in Polk County, IA?
+
Express Tunnel is the most common format in Polk County, IA, with 24 of 73 locations.
How much do car wash workers make in Polk County, IA?
+
Car-wash employees in Polk County earn about $33,730 per year on average (BLS QCEW, 2024), across roughly 423 jobs.
Cite this page
Data as of 2026-09-26. Pick a format and click Copy.
APA
WashIndex. (2026, September 26). Car Washes in Polk County, IA — Market Analysis & Statistics. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/polk-county-ia
Chicago
WashIndex. "Car Washes in Polk County, IA — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/polk-county-ia.
MLA
"Car Washes in Polk County, IA — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex, Sep. 26, 2026, https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/polk-county-ia.
BibTeX
@misc{washindex_car_wash_counties_polk_county_ia_2026,
title = {{Car Washes in Polk County, IA — Market Analysis & Statistics}},
author = {{WashIndex}},
year = {2026},
month = {Sep},
url = {https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/polk-county-ia},
urldate = {2026-09-26},
} Per-location car-wash data for Polk County, IA (format, operators, AI-scored review signals) joined to the county's official BLS footprint. See the Des Moines metro analysis · methodology. Free to cite with attribution to WashIndex.