Really? Why is that? We are talking the whole of America here, not just NY/Chicago and LA. Most Americans live in single family homes. Where would they do their laundry? Granted, when I was growing up, I knew some pretty well-to-do families who had their laundry picked up and washed and returned to them, but that certainly wasn't the norm. Most people would rather spend the money on a w/d and wouldn't bother to drive into town to the laundromat and do their laundry. Washers and dryers are probably more common than dishwashers (if I had to guess).