Des Moines Car Wash Market Analysis
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Data updated · September 26, 2026
32,689 Google reviews across 428 car washes in 6 Des Moines counties. Format mix, operator rank, county breakdown, rating vs. income, aspect-level customer signals.
Snapshot
- Locations
- 428
- 80% independent
- Chains
- 23
- lead: Mister Car Wash (13 sites)
- Avg rating
- 4.33★
- -0.08 vs national MSA median
- Damage rate
- 1.5%
- near national MSA norm
- Cancel friction
- 14.4%
- Top format
- detail shop
- 33% of classified inventory
Market Quality snapshot
- Population
- 720,331
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Households
- 289,451
- ACS 2023 5-year
- Residents per wash
- 1,683
- near the national MSA median
- Express tunnels per 10K households
- 1.1
- above ~1.0 — contested · classified sites
Key findings
- 428 car wash locations operated by 23 chains and 341 independents across 6 counties.
- Weighted Google rating 4.33★ across the market; structural concentration and format mix sit near US-metro norms.
- Built from 32,689 Google reviews, 11,953 of them AI-extracted across 55 dimensions.
428 car wash locations across 6 counties · dots colored by format · sized by review volume
Des Moines reads as a balanced car wash market — neither sharply consolidated nor unusually fragmented. 428 locations across 23 chains and 341 independents, distributed across 6 counties. Distinctive patterns show up below at the format and aspect levels.
Weighted rating 4.33★; damage 1.5%; membership-cancel friction 14.4%. Equipment reliability runs as the sharpest friction (-0.53). Per-operator and per-format cuts below are more informative than the aggregates.
See the top car wash chains in Des Moines
Ranked by location count in the metro
The car wash industry in the Des Moines metro, officially
the Des Moines metro has 65 car-wash employer establishments employing about 472 people, at a $33,311 average annual wage.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW (private, NAICS 811192). Counts car-wash employer establishments, a narrower universe than all physical wash locations — see methodology.
Car wash financing in the Des Moines metro
Balanced mixSince 2011, the U.S. Small Business Administration has backed 11 car-wash loans in the Des Moines metro worth $8.1M, at a $250,000 median per car wash. Early read: its purpose mix tracks the national pattern — a blend of new builds, acquisitions, and reinvestment by existing operators — with no single signal dominating.
- Polk 5
- Dallas 4
- Warren 2
- New build / open36% · $1.2M
- Acquisition9% · $343K
- Expansion / improvement36% · $137K
- Working capital9% · $300K
- Unclassified9% · $154K
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) & 504 FOIA datasets (NAICS 811192), data through 2026-03-31. See the Car Wash Lending Tracker for national figures and methodology.
About the Des Moines car wash market
How many car washes are in the Des Moines metro?
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What is the best-rated car wash in the Des Moines metro?
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Which car wash chain has the most locations in Des Moines?
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What is the average customer rating in the Des Moines car wash market?
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What is the typical household income near car washes in Des Moines?
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What kinds of car washes does Des Moines have?
The format mix in Des Moines reads as a typical mid-market US metro — express tunnels and detail shops carrying the bulk of supply, with full-service and self-serve layered in. The bar chart pairs location count with per-format average rating.
Highest-rated format: Detail Shop at 4.75★ across 34 locations. Lowest-rated: Self-Serve Bay at 3.88★ (18 locations).
325 (75.9%) of 428 locations are unclassified — small independents whose websites don't surface enough signal for format assignment. Format-level statistics describe the classified subset only.
| Format | Locations | % of MSA | Reviews | Avg Rating | Damage Rate | Cancel Friction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unclassified | 325 | 75.9% | 10,811 | 4.41 | 0.83% | 9.7% |
| Detail Shop | 34 | 7.9% | 3,128 | 4.75 | 0.60% | — |
| Express Tunnel | 32 | 7.5% | 12,975 | 4.34 | 2.37% | 15.0% |
| Self-Serve Bay | 18 | 4.2% | 2,760 | 3.88 | 0.67% | 0.0% |
| In-Bay Automatic | 17 | 4.0% | 2,153 | 3.91 | 2.03% | 27.0% |
| Full Service | 2 | 0.5% | 862 | 4.16 | 0.44% | 0.0% |
What is the household income near Des Moines car washes?
180 Des Moines car washes with at least 10 Google reviews are plotted below against the mean IRS AGI per return for their ZIP. The Pearson correlation we compute is one of the cleanest cuts on whether neighborhood income meaningfully shapes wash quality here.
Pearson r between ZIP income and Google rating across 180 qualifying locations: -0.04 — effectively zero. Operating quality dominates over neighborhood income. Scatter mean: $98K AGI/return, 4.21★.
Car wash count and quality by income tier
Blue bars: location count per tier. Orange tick marks: average Google rating (same y-axis).
| Income tier (mean AGI/return) | ZIPs | Locations | Reviews | Avg Rating | Top Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $50K | 2 | 6 | 663 | 3.85 | Self-Serve Bay (1) |
| $50K – $75K | 13 | 81 | 7,999 | 4.30 | Self-Serve Bay (7) |
| $75K – $100K | 15 | 67 | 7,360 | 4.46 | Detail Shop (8) |
| $100K – $150K | 18 | 104 | 12,404 | 4.29 | Express Tunnel (16) |
| $150K+ | 2 | 18 | 3,409 | 4.22 | Detail Shop (5) |
The highest-income tier ($150K+) contains 18 car washes across 2 ZIPs at 4.22★, against 6 sites across 2 ZIPs at 3.85★ in the lowest. Middle-income tiers typically host the densest express-tunnel concentrations — the part of the income curve where that format's unit economics are strongest.
Who operates the most Des Moines car washes?
23 chains alongside 341 independents make up Des Moines's car wash supply. The chain rank below shows the multi-location operators' position; the per-location detail near the bottom of the page captures the independent layer.
| # | Chain | Locations | Reviews | Avg Rating | Damage | Cancel | Upsell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mister Car Wash | 13 | 6,004 | 4.25 | 2.54% | 8.1% | 0.46% |
| 2 | Kwik Trip | 13 | 1,601 | 4.40 | 0.00% | — | 0.24% |
| 3 | bp | 8 | 260 | 3.77 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Ultimate Auto Wash | 6 | 1,161 | 3.69 | 0.60% | — | 0.00% |
| 5 | Executive Laser Wash | 5 | 1,392 | 3.94 | 3.26% | 28.6% | 0.00% |
| 6 | Rocket Carwash | 5 | 2,582 | 4.27 | 2.64% | 24.9% | 9.89% |
| 7 | Spotfree Car Wash | 4 | 996 | 4.13 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Clean Works Car Wash | 4 | 303 | 3.70 | — | — | — |
| 9 | Champion Xpress Carwash | 4 | 1,089 | 4.68 | 1.02% | 5.6% | 1.31% |
| 10 | Silverstar Car Wash | 4 | 2,036 | 4.80 | 1.38% | 9.4% | 0.48% |
| 11 | Casey's | 3 | 682 | 3.62 | 0.90% | — | 0.00% |
| 12 | Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 3 | 1,689 | 4.72 | 1.56% | 5.1% | 0.72% |
| 13 | Oasis Car Wash | 2 | 732 | 4.26 | 6.25% | — | 0.00% |
| 14 | Valley West Car Wash | 2 | 197 | 4.55 | — | — | — |
| 15 | Altoona Laserwash | 2 | 304 | 3.50 | — | — | — |
| 16 | 4 Seasons Car Wash | 2 | 49 | 3.83 | — | — | — |
| 17 | National Carwash Solutions | 1 | 40 | 3.00 | — | — | — |
| 18 | Shell | 1 | 115 | 3.70 | — | — | — |
| 19 | Hy-Vee Car Wash | 1 | 33 | 3.70 | — | — | — |
| 20 | Prime Car Wash | 1 | 83 | 4.70 | — | — | — |
| 21 | Tidal Wave Auto Spa | Car Wash | 1 | 368 | 4.50 | 3.03% | — | 1.82% |
| 22 | Blue Beacon | 1 | 779 | 4.10 | 0.00% | — | 1.25% |
| 23 | 4 THE TRUCK + LINE-X of Des Moines | 1 | 49 | 4.90 | — | — | — |
Which counties have the most car washes in Des Moines?
Counties of the Des Moines CBSA are listed below by car wash count. Polk County is the most density-concentrated. Reading the rating column tells you whether quality is uniform across the metro or whether specific counties pull in either direction.
Cross-county rating dispersion: 0.47★ between the highest- and lowest-rated counties with meaningful sample size.
| County | Locations | % of MSA | Reviews | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 313 | 73.1% | 25,638 | 4.31 |
| Dallas County | 56 | 13.1% | 5,328 | 4.44 |
| Warren County | 26 | 6.1% | 1,179 | 4.37 |
| Jasper County | 17 | 4.0% | 402 | 4.24 |
| Madison County | 11 | 2.6% | 113 | 3.97 |
| Guthrie County | 5 | 1.2% | 29 | 4.24 |
What do customers love and complain about in Des Moines?
Seven aspects, 11,953 reviews, 428 locations. The grid below gives a quick read on which dimensions of the experience Des Moines's car wash market does well at and which generate friction.
Where are all the car washes in the Des Moines metro?
Top 25 car washes by review volume in Des Moines. The full set of 428 is available in the underlying dataset.
| Location | City | Format | Chain | Rating | Reviews | ZIP AGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mister Car Wash 8727 University Ave | Clive, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.0 | 1,141 | $150K |
| Shine Shop Carwash 3301 N Ankeny Blvd | Ankeny, IA | Express Tunnel | Rocket Carwash | 4.2 | 855 | $108K |
| Blue Beacon Truck Wash of Des Moines, IA 3301 Adventureland Dr I, 80 Exit 142 | Altoona, IA | Full Service | Blue Beacon | 4.1 | 779 | $83K |
| MCCJ Auto Group 4611 SW 9th St | Des Moines, IA | — | — | 4.8 | 749 | $53K |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash 180 SE Alice's Rd | Waukee, IA | Express Tunnel | Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.6 | 693 | $123K |
| Iowa Auto Exchange 1410 NE Broadway Ave | Des Moines, IA | — | — | 4.6 | 691 | $60K |
| Silverstar Car Wash 6310 Hickman Rd | Windsor Heights, IA | — | Silverstar Car Wash | 4.8 | 642 | $78K |
| Mister Car Wash 850 Army Post Rd | Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.5 | 639 | $53K |
| Silverstar Car Wash 6017 SE 14th St | Des Moines, IA | — | Silverstar Car Wash | 4.8 | 633 | $59K |
| Mister Car Wash 3400 SE 14th St | Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.2 | 616 | $59K |
| Rocket Carwash 737 34th Ave SW | Altoona, IA | Express Tunnel | Rocket Carwash | 4.5 | 616 | $83K |
| Mister Car Wash 2525 Ingersoll Ave | Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 611 | $138K |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash 645 S 60th St | West Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.8 | 566 | $120K |
| Mister Car Wash 102 S Jordan Creek Pkwy | West Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.4 | 554 | $120K |
| Champion Xpress Carwash 1807 N Jefferson Way | Indianola, IA | Express Tunnel | Champion Xpress Carwash | 4.8 | 534 | $88K |
| Shine Shop Carwash 1400 SE University Ave | Waukee, IA | Express Tunnel | Rocket Carwash | 4.2 | 473 | $123K |
| Mister Car Wash 12035 Hickman Rd | Urbandale, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 468 | $204K |
| Champion Xpress Carwash 10950 Meredith Dr | Urbandale, IA | Express Tunnel | Champion Xpress Carwash | 4.6 | 468 | $84K |
| Silverstar Car Wash 10056 Hickman Ct | Clive, IA | — | Silverstar Car Wash | 4.8 | 449 | $150K |
| Mister Car Wash 3333 Merle Hay Rd | Des Moines, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.1 | 437 | $67K |
| Tommy's Express® Car Wash 2480 E 1st St | Grimes, IA | Express Tunnel | Tommy's Express® Car Wash | 4.8 | 430 | $106K |
| Oasis Car Wash 635 SE Oralabor Rd | Ankeny, IA | Express Tunnel | Oasis Car Wash | 4.4 | 394 | $123K |
| Shine Shop Carwash 6035 Merle Hay Rd | Johnston, IA | Express Tunnel | Rocket Carwash | 4.1 | 381 | $130K |
| Mister Car Wash 4850 Merle Hay Rd | Urbandale, IA | Express Tunnel | Mister Car Wash | 4.3 | 372 | $84K |
| Grizzly Clean 1575 NW Gettysburg Ln Unit 102 | Waukee, IA | Detail Shop | — | 4.9 | 372 | $123K |
Compare Des Moines to other IA car wash markets
Each link drills into a full per-metro analysis — operator concentration, format mix, and customer-experience signals against the same methodology.
Data as of 2026-09-26. Pick a format and click Copy.
WashIndex. (2026, September 26). Des Moines car wash market analysis. https://washindex.com/car-wash-markets/des-moines
WashIndex. "Des Moines car wash market analysis." WashIndex. Last modified September 26, 2026. https://washindex.com/car-wash-markets/des-moines.
"Des Moines car wash market analysis." WashIndex, Sep. 26, 2026, https://washindex.com/car-wash-markets/des-moines.
@misc{washindex_car_wash_markets_des_moines_2026,
title = {{Des Moines car wash market analysis}},
author = {{WashIndex}},
year = {2026},
month = {Sep},
url = {https://washindex.com/car-wash-markets/des-moines},
urldate = {2026-09-26},
} About this analysis
Car wash inventory for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA CBSA is determined by point-in-polygon test against the official US Census county boundaries (TIGER/Line, 2024) for the 6 counties that make up the MSA. Each location was verified to fall inside one of those county polygons; lat/lng comes from Google Maps metadata.
Operating-quality signals are derived from 11,953 customer reviews processed through WashIndex's 55-field LLM extraction pipeline. Format classification comes from a separate per-location website-reading classifier. ZIP-level income data is from the IRS Statistics of Income (tax year 2022) — mean Adjusted Gross Income per tax return, which is directionally aligned with ACS median household income but available without authentication.
See our full methodology for the extraction pipeline, validation samples, and aggregation logic. Term definitions in the glossary.
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