Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Alabama
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Birmingham, AL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Birmingham, AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #313 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 1,184
- 487 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 526
- −9.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $876.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,885 a household
- Spending per listing
- $740K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.5
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,197,766
- +1.4% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Birmingham metro area
The site report maps the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Birmingham metro area scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #313 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Birmingham metro area spend about $876.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,885 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $740K per business, 16% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
The Birmingham metro area has 1,184 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 487 are chain locations, or 41%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.5, 9% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 526 businesses with payroll in the Birmingham metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 9.8% from 2019. That is one for every 884 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Birmingham metro area. Population estimates show the Birmingham metro area grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Birmingham metro area compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Birmingham metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.5 | 22.8 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $740K | $779K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 884 | 1,020 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.8% | −9.6% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,885 | $1,778 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $71,498 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 526−9.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,875
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $126M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,072Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,184487 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 996The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Birmingham metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Birmingham metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,197,766+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 465,003
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 5,280 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 224
- Median household income
- $71,498
- Average household income
- $100,521
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 555,318
- Daytime population
- 1,227,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Birmingham metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing, shoes and laundry across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Birmingham metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 65 | 446 | 21.7 | $945K | +12.5% | #97 of 387 |
| 2Auburn-Opelika, AL | 57 | 125 | 16.3 | $1.1M | +7.1% | #147 of 387 |
| 3Decatur, AL | 53 | 128 | 20.4 | $879K | +2.5% | #184 of 387 |
| 4Tuscaloosa, AL | 35 | 221 | 20.9 | $834K | +2.9% | #292 of 387 |
| 5Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 33 | 337 | 34.2 | $562K | +14.8% | #305 of 387 |
| 6Birmingham, AL | 31 | 1,184 | 25.5 | $740K | +1.4% | #313 of 387 |
| 7Montgomery, AL | 28 | 334 | 22.1 | $798K | +0.9% | #326 of 387 |
| 8Gadsden, AL | 28 | 92 | 23.3 | $687K | +0.4% | #329 of 387 |
| 9Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 28 | 159 | 25.0 | $685K | +3.5% | #330 of 387 |
| 10Dothan, AL | 23 | 175 | 28.7 | $586K | +3.4% | #349 of 387 |
Other business types in the Birmingham metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry31
- Clothing and shoe stores28
- Laundromats64
- Dry cleaners41
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Birmingham, AL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,184 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Birmingham metro area. 487 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 526 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 9.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,072 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Birmingham, AL metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $876.3M a year, or $1,885 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,184 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $740K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 465,003 households in the Birmingham metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Birmingham, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Birmingham metro area has 25.5 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $740K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Birmingham metro area would have about 996, against 1,184 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 884 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Birmingham, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Birmingham metro area at 1,197,766 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 465,003 households. The median household income in the Birmingham metro area is $71,498 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Birmingham metro area scores 31 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #313 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Birmingham metro area. It maps the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses · All 56 business types in the Birmingham metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Birmingham metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Birmingham metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.