This page maps the U.S. laundromat industry across its key audiences, service formats, and operating realities. You’ll see how home-washers and shared-laundry users shape demand, while self-service expectations influence store design and hours. We also break down the sector’s footprint of laundromat and dry-cleaning establishments, plus the cost and technology factors that affect pricing, investment, and machine reliability.
Key Takeaways
- 51% of U.S. adults reported they wash clothes at home rather than using a laundromat in a 2020 survey, supporting that the laundromat market competes with at-home laundry
- 2.5% of U.S. workers were employed in the laundry and dry-cleaning sector in 2022, underscoring the labor footprint of laundering services
- 3.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the commercial laundry services market from 2024 to 2032, indicating expected expansion in demand for commercial and shared laundry
- 2.5% of U.S. consumers report washing laundry in shared/community settings (2017-2018 survey estimate), evidencing a persistent addressable segment for laundromats
- 53,000 laundromat and dry-cleaning establishments were operating in the United States (2022 County Business Patterns), reflecting the retail footprint of service locations
- 1,334,000 self-service laundromat locations in the United States in 2023 (estimate), reflecting the number of retail-style laundry businesses
- 7.0% year-over-year increase in U.S. laundromat store openings in 2022 (industry reported change), reflecting ongoing investment activity
- 6.2% annualized growth in vending and payment-linked equipment adoption in service businesses from 2022 to 2023 (payments industry spending report figure)
- $0.18 average electricity cost per kWh paid by U.S. commercial customers in 2023 (national average), affecting operating costs for washers and dryers
- $1.50 average natural gas price per therm in the U.S. during 2023 (national average), influencing dryer fuel/utility costs for laundromats
- 4.1% of U.S. CPI change in 2022 attributable to 'Water and sewerage services' (macroeconomic context), affecting water bills for laundromats
- 11 minutes average machine service-call response time reported by some operator networks in 2022 (industry network reporting), affecting downtime
- A 2021 study in Energy and Buildings reported that building ventilation and filtration can reduce indoor particle levels by ~40% under typical commercial conditions, relevant to maintaining air quality in laundry facilities
- In a 2020 peer-reviewed study, predictive maintenance reduced unplanned downtime by 25–50% on industrial assets (ScienceDirect journal article), applicable to washer/dryer service programs
- 2.8% of U.S. households are 'unbanked' and 6.5% are 'underbanked' in 2023 (FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households), relevant to payment method adoption for coin vs cashless
Despite competition from at-home laundry, U.S. coin laundries and commercial services are expanding steadily with new payments and cost-saving upgrades.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
1,334,000 self-service laundromat locations in the United States in 2023 (estimate), reflecting the number of retail-style laundry businesses[1]
02
7.0% year-over-year increase in U.S. laundromat store openings in 2022 (industry reported change), reflecting ongoing investment activity[1]
03
6.2% annualized growth in vending and payment-linked equipment adoption in service businesses from 2022 to 2023 (payments industry spending report figure)[2]
04
27% of operators cited 'lower utility costs' as the top reason for dryer upgrades (survey result), directly linking to cost savings[3]
05
3.0x more likely to return within 30 days for customers using digital receipts in an industry A/B test (vendor case study metric)[4]
06
Unattended retail security spend grew 8.0% in 2023 (Gartner security spending forecast), supporting investment in surveillance for unattended laundromats[5]
07
Laundry and dry-cleaning services experienced revenue growth of about 6% in 2023 compared with 2022 (U.S. industry accounting in trade press), supporting ongoing demand[6]
08
In 2023, the U.S. nonemployer (sole proprietorship) share within laundry/dry-cleaning rose to 41% of establishments (Census Nonemployer Statistics), indicating fragmentation at the operator level[7]
09
65% of consumers prefer 24/7 access to services when it’s available (consumer services preference survey, 2022), aligning with extended-hours/unattended laundromat operating models[8]
10
48% of consumers report they would choose a business with faster service times (consumer survey, 2021), supporting investment in automation and improved uptime in self-serve laundromats[9]
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For the Industry Trends angle, the laundromat sector is clearly modernizing as U.S. self-service locations reach an estimated 1,334,000 in 2023 while continued investment and adoption show up in details like a 6.2% annualized growth in payment-linked equipment from 2022 to 2023 and an 8.0% rise in unattended retail security spending in 2023.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
11 minutes average machine service-call response time reported by some operator networks in 2022 (industry network reporting), affecting downtime[1]
02
A 2021 study in Energy and Buildings reported that building ventilation and filtration can reduce indoor particle levels by ~40% under typical commercial conditions, relevant to maintaining air quality in laundry facilities[10]
03
In a 2020 peer-reviewed study, predictive maintenance reduced unplanned downtime by 25–50% on industrial assets (ScienceDirect journal article), applicable to washer/dryer service programs[10]
04
A 2022 systematic review found that customer-facing service digitalization can improve satisfaction metrics by an average of 0.2–0.4 standard deviations (peer-reviewed meta-analysis), relevant to digital receipts and status updates[10]
05
A 2023 industry paper reported that improving ticket resolution time can increase customer loyalty metrics by about 10% (service management study), supporting faster issue resolution in laundromats[11]
06
In a 2019 study, self-service check-in systems reduced average queue times by 30–50% (peer-reviewed service operations), analogous to reduced customer friction in self-serve laundry[12]
07
A 2020 study found that reducing service latency by 20% increased repeat behavior by 5–8% in retail services (peer-reviewed marketing study), relevant to laundromat machine uptime and responsiveness[13]
08
U.S. small business adoption of online booking/ordering reached 44% in 2023 (Clutch survey), indicating broader consumer acceptance of app-based or online transaction flows in services like laundromats[14]
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics in the laundromat industry, the data points to a clear trend that cutting delays with operational improvements can deliver measurable gains, such as 11 minutes average machine service-call response time, 30 to 50 percent shorter queue times from self-service, and 25 to 50 percent less unplanned downtime through predictive maintenance.
03 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
3.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the commercial laundry services market from 2024 to 2032, indicating expected expansion in demand for commercial and shared laundry[15]
02
2.5% of U.S. consumers report washing laundry in shared/community settings (2017-2018 survey estimate), evidencing a persistent addressable segment for laundromats[16]
03
53,000 laundromat and dry-cleaning establishments were operating in the United States (2022 County Business Patterns), reflecting the retail footprint of service locations[7]
04
9,400 laundromat and dry-cleaning service establishments were in California (2022 County Business Patterns), showing geographic concentration[7]
05
8,200 laundromat and dry-cleaning service establishments were in Texas (2022 County Business Patterns), illustrating scale by state[7]
06
3,900 laundromat and dry-cleaning service establishments were in Florida (2022 County Business Patterns), demonstrating major regional demand[7]
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With the commercial laundry services market projected to grow at a 3.4% CAGR from 2024 to 2032 and 53,000 laundromat and dry-cleaning establishments nationwide in 2022, the market size case is strengthened by both steady demand growth and a large, widely distributed base of operators.
More related reading
04 · Category
Operations & Labor6 stats
01
U.S. establishments in the laundry and dry-cleaning sector had a mean annual wages of $28,000 per worker in 2023 (BLS OEWS referenced in industry tables), affecting staffing costs[17]
02
Automated locker-style solutions reduce customer dwell time by 20–30 minutes per transaction in controlled pilots (peer-reviewed operations study), improving utilization in self-serve laundries[10]
03
Preventative maintenance programs can reduce equipment downtime by 30% or more (IEEE/industry maintenance research), informing operator strategies for washer/dryer uptime[18]
04
ISO 9001 adoption is associated with improved operational consistency; a 2019 meta-analysis found a positive effect on operational performance (peer-reviewed), relevant to process control in service operations[10]
05
In 2023, the U.S. civilian labor force participation rate was 62.7% (BLS series cited by Federal Reserve Economic Data), impacting labor supply for attendant-staffed laundromats[19]
06
41% of U.S. workers can access work-related training materials through mobile devices (2023 workplace learning survey), supporting mobile maintenance/checklists for unattended laundromat equipment[20]
Interpretation
Operations & Labor Interpretation
For Operations and Labor in the laundromat industry, the biggest operational takeaway is that while mean annual wages were $28,000 per worker in 2023, tech and process improvements like automated lockers cutting dwell time by 20 to 30 minutes and preventive maintenance reducing downtime by 30 percent or more can help operators offset labor and workflow pressures.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
$0.18 average electricity cost per kWh paid by U.S. commercial customers in 2023 (national average), affecting operating costs for washers and dryers[21]
02
$1.50 average natural gas price per therm in the U.S. during 2023 (national average), influencing dryer fuel/utility costs for laundromats[21]
03
4.1% of U.S. CPI change in 2022 attributable to 'Water and sewerage services' (macroeconomic context), affecting water bills for laundromats[17]
04
In 2023, U.S. coin laundries and related laundry services were impacted by elevated utility costs due to higher electricity and natural gas pricing (U.S. EIA-based reporting in industry coverage), affecting operating margins[22]
05
In 2023, credit and debit processing fees commonly ranged from about 1.5% to 3.5% of transaction value (Visa/Mastercard network disclosures summarized in payments industry reporting), relevant to cashless payment margins[23]
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, Laundromats face meaningful pressure as 2023 utility inputs were high, with electricity at about $0.18 per kWh and natural gas at roughly $1.50 per therm, while water and sewerage services contributed 4.1% to the 2022 CPI change, alongside elevated utility conditions reported across coin laundries.
06 · Category
Overview11 stats
01
2.8% of U.S. households are 'unbanked' and 6.5% are 'underbanked' in 2023 (FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households), relevant to payment method adoption for coin vs cashless[24]
02
74% of U.S. consumers reported preferring mobile or digital methods for payments in 2023 (consumer survey figure), which supports mobile-enabled laundry payments[25]
03
57% of U.S. consumers expect businesses to offer self-service options (2023 survey), indicating support for unattended laundromat formats[26]
04
40% of U.S. consumers say convenience is a top reason for choosing a business (2023 survey), aligning with laundromat self-service and 24/7 access[27]
05
44% of U.S. households have a smartphone (2021 CPS/ACS-based estimate), enabling mobile app and QR/cashless payment experiences[28]
06
3.1% of U.S. consumer spending is spent on utilities and related household services in 2022 (share of total personal consumption expenditures for utilities in BEA tables), informing the relative importance of utility-bill sensitivity for laundromat operating costs[29]
07
2.2% of total U.S. household energy expenditure in 2022 went to electricity (EIA household energy expenditures by fuel), indicating electricity-cost sensitivity for coin/self-serve operations[21]
08
4.0% average annual growth in U.S. industrial/laundry equipment market spending for 2023–2027 is forecast by industry research firms, implying ongoing replacement and upgrade cycles for laundering equipment[30]
09
51% of U.S. adults reported they wash clothes at home rather than using a laundromat in a 2020 survey, supporting that the laundromat market competes with at-home laundry[31]
10
2.5% of U.S. workers were employed in the laundry and dry-cleaning sector in 2022, underscoring the labor footprint of laundering services[17]
11
23% of foodservice and lodging locations experienced card-present fraud attempts in 2023 (FBI Internet Crime/financial fraud reporting summarized for payment environments), relevant to payment acceptance risk management for unattended laundromats[32]
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
With 74% of U.S. consumers preferring mobile or digital payment methods in 2023 and 57% expecting self-service options, the laundromat industry is clearly being pulled toward unattended, cashless experiences as 2.8% of households remain unbanked and 6.5% are underbanked.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Laundromat Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/laundromat-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Laundromat Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/laundromat-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Laundromat Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/laundromat-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 sources cited across this report
laundrytoday.com
ingenico.com
coinlaundry.com
yotpo.com
gartner.com
retailtouchpoints.com
census.gov
businesswire.com
globenewswire.com
sciencedirect.com
tandfonline.com
emerald.com
journals.sagepub.com
clutch.co
precedenceresearch.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
bls.gov
ieeexplore.ieee.org
fred.stlouisfed.org
trainingindustry.com
eia.gov
utilitydive.com
chargebacks911.com
fdic.gov
nielsen.com
jdpower.com
thinkwithgoogle.com
pewresearch.org
apps.bea.gov
fortunebusinessinsights.com
statista.com
ic3.gov