Illinois Car Wash Industry Statistics 2026

By Jason Taken, Licensed Business Broker · Published: April 27, 2026 · Last Updated: June 11, 2026

A data-driven overview of the Illinois car wash market. These statistics inform acquisition pricing, location decisions, and opportunity assessment.

Illinois Car Wash Industry Overview

• Estimated facilities: 2,500-3,000 statewide
• Estimated annual revenue: $1.2-1.5 billion
• Employment: 15,000-20,000 full and part-time workers
• Chicago metro share of revenue: ~60-65%
• Annual growth rate: 3-6% driven by membership adoption

Market Segmentation

• Express tunnel: ~15% of facilities, ~40% of revenue
• In-bay automatic: ~35% of facilities, ~30% of revenue
• Self-serve: ~40% of facilities, ~20% of revenue
• Full-service/detail: ~10% of facilities, ~10% of revenue

Illinois Vehicle Ownership

• Registered vehicles: ~10.5 million
• Average vehicles per household: 1.9 (above national average)
• Households with vehicles: ~88%
• Average annual snowfall (Chicago): 38 inches - a key demand driver

Transaction Market Data 2025-2026

• Typical multiples: 3-6x adjusted EBITDA
• Average transaction size: $350,000-$1,500,000 single-site
• Time to sell: 90-180 days for well-priced operations
• Buyer mix: 57% individual/owner-operator; 43% institutional/family office