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County market analysis · Data updated · September 26, 2026
Car Washes in San Mateo County, CA
San Mateo County, CA has 61 car washes across 9 chains and 31 independents, drawing 15,410 Google reviews with a 2.7% reviewer-reported damage rate. It skews detail shop (44% of locations) and is a mix of chains and independents; its washes rate about average at 4.24★. The BLS counts 30 car-wash employer establishments in the county paying a $36,165 average wage.
San Mateo County at a glance
- Car washes
- 61
- 51% independent
- Top operator
- Shell
- 11 locations
- Avg rating
- 4.24★
- -0.17 vs U.S. norm
- Damage rate
- 2.7%
- 1.8× U.S. norm
- Top format
- detail shop
- 44% of classified
- BLS establishments
- 30
- employer businesses (QCEW)
Market Quality snapshot
- Population
- 745,100
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Households
- 264,424
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Residents per wash
- 12,215
- 6.3× 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
30
Employer establishments
541
Industry jobs
$36,165
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 San Mateo County, CA
Customer-experience signals
Net sentiment (−1 to +1) across 3,966 AI-analyzed reviews. Positive = more praise than complaints.
Price & value
+0.03
Speed & wait
+0.51
Wash quality
+0.57
Customer service
+0.71
Equipment reliability
-0.73
Facilities
+0.55
Membership value
-0.14
Top operators in San Mateo County, CA
| Operator | Locations | Avg rating |
|---|---|---|
| Shell | 11 | 3.36 |
| Ducky's Express @ Chevron San Jose | 6 | 4.06 |
| Auto Pride Hand Car Wash | 3 | 3.82 |
| Clear Water Car Wash | 3 | 4.29 |
| Quick Quack Car Wash | 2 | 4.60 |
| Hayward Car Wash | 2 | 4.30 |
| JB Mobile Detailing | 1 | 4.90 |
| ATLAS DETAILING | 1 | 4.90 |
| GC Mobile Auto Detail (Fremont) | 1 | 5.00 |
Car washes in San Mateo County, CA
| Car wash | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Quack Car Wash | 4.6 | 2,996 |
| Quick Quack Car Wash | 4.6 | 2,171 |
| Ducky's Car Wash Menlo Park | 4.2 | 924 |
| Westlake Eco Soft Touch | 3.6 | 771 |
| Jack's Car Wash | 4.1 | 736 |
| Ducky's Car Wash San Mateo | 4.0 | 644 |
| Redwood City Car Wash | 4.3 | 503 |
| Ducky's Car Wash San Carlos | 4.0 | 482 |
| Auto Pride Hand Car Wash | 3.9 | 440 |
| San Mateo Car Wash | 4.3 | 365 |
| Clearwater Car Wash | 4.4 | 353 |
| Auto Pride Hand Car Wash | 3.8 | 318 |
| Pacifica Car Wash | 3.7 | 318 |
| Auto Pride Hand Car Wash | 3.7 | 280 |
| Shell | 3.2 | 262 |
| Clear Water Car Wash | 4.3 | 249 |
| Graphix Lab LLC. | 4.8 | 247 |
| Shell | 3.2 | 197 |
| JB Mobile Detailing | 4.9 | 182 |
| Spray Clean Car Wash | 4.0 | 180 |
| Shell | 3.2 | 175 |
| Shell | 3.8 | 174 |
| Shell | 3.2 | 153 |
| Ducky’s Express @ Chevron Daly City | 3.9 | 152 |
| Belmont Pro Wash | 4.2 | 141 |
| Shell | 3.5 | 137 |
| Clear Water Car Wash | 4.0 | 130 |
| Autospa mobile ECO carwash | 4.9 | 119 |
| McGuire's Mobile Detailing | 5.0 | 115 |
| The Detail Freak Mobile Detailing & Car Wash of Redwood City | 5.0 | 109 |
| Shell | 3.3 | 108 |
| Artec Automotive | 5.0 | 107 |
| Bay Area Detail | Ceramic Coatings and Paint Protection Film | 5.0 | 103 |
| Ducky's Express @ Chevron Daly City | 3.8 | 101 |
| Foster City Pro Wash | 4.3 | 88 |
| Shell | 3.3 | 81 |
| Lux Mobile Car Wash | 4.8 | 76 |
| Shell | 3.7 | 73 |
| Padilla Auto Detailing | 5.0 | 63 |
| AutoXpert | Window Tint | PPF | Ceramic Coating | Detailing | Vinyl | Commercial tint | 5.0 | 58 |
| Luxury Detail Inc | 5.0 | 53 |
| Starwash Mobile Detailing LLC | 5.0 | 44 |
| Shell | 3.7 | 44 |
| ATLAS AUTO SALON | 4.9 | 42 |
| Tom's Auto Body & Paint | 4.5 | 41 |
| Downtown Auto Detailing and Repair | 4.8 | 32 |
| Coastside Detailing | 5.0 | 31 |
| B K Motors | 4.5 | 27 |
| Car Wash | Chevron | 3.5 | 26 |
| J & J Auto Detailing | 4.4 | 25 |
| Peninsula Headlight Restoration | 5.0 | 21 |
| Peninsula PPF & Detail | 5.0 | 19 |
| Car Wash | Shell | 3.5 | 18 |
| Shine For Charity TouchFreeWash | 3.9 | 18 |
| SBL Auto Detailing | 4.8 | 15 |
| Check Car Wash & Detailing Mobile | 4.9 | 15 |
| Stardust Auto Spa | 5.0 | 14 |
| Grace Body Shop Collision Center | 4.2 | 12 |
| Elite Auto Detail & Restoration | 3.5 | 11 |
| California Detail Inc. | 4.9 | 11 |
Showing the 60 most-reviewed of 61 car washes in San Mateo County, CA.
Frequently Asked Questions
About San Mateo County, CA
How many car washes are in San Mateo County, CA?
+
WashIndex tracks 61 car washes in San Mateo County, CA — 9 chain operators and 31 independents. The BLS separately counts 30 car-wash employer establishments (businesses with payroll) in the county.
What is the most common type of car wash in San Mateo County, CA?
+
Detail Shop is the most common format in San Mateo County, CA, with 27 of 61 locations.
How much do car wash workers make in San Mateo County, CA?
+
Car-wash employees in San Mateo County earn about $36,165 per year on average (BLS QCEW, 2024), across roughly 541 jobs.
Cite this page
Data as of 2026-09-26. Pick a format and click Copy.
APA
WashIndex. (2026, September 26). Car Washes in San Mateo County, CA — Market Analysis & Statistics. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/san-mateo-county-ca
Chicago
WashIndex. "Car Washes in San Mateo County, CA — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/san-mateo-county-ca.
MLA
"Car Washes in San Mateo County, CA — Market Analysis & Statistics." WashIndex, Sep. 26, 2026, https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/san-mateo-county-ca.
BibTeX
@misc{washindex_car_wash_counties_san_mateo_county_ca_2026,
title = {{Car Washes in San Mateo County, CA — Market Analysis & Statistics}},
author = {{WashIndex}},
year = {2026},
month = {Sep},
url = {https://washindex.com/car-wash-counties/san-mateo-county-ca},
urldate = {2026-09-26},
} Per-location car-wash data for San Mateo County, CA (format, operators, AI-scored review signals) joined to the county's official BLS footprint. See the San Francisco metro analysis · methodology. Free to cite with attribution to WashIndex.