Clothing and laundry · Metro area · California
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #298 of 387 scored metro areas
#17 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 3,237
- 1,190 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 1,384
- −11.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.5B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,138 a household
- Spending per listing
- $774K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.6
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #298 of 387 scored metro areas and #17 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $2,138 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area spend about $2.5B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $774K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 27.6 per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,384 businesses with payroll in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 11.0% from 2019. That is one for every 846 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $7.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. Population estimates show the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area compares
The same measures for California 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 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.6 | 28.0 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $774K | $746K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 846 | 884 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.0% | −11.0% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,138 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,384−11.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,115
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $565.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,380Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,2371,190 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,844The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $7.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in California, with the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba City, CA | 75 | 75 | 12.1 | $1.5M | +3.3% | #32 of 387 |
| 2Stockton-Lodi, CA | 75 | 408 | 16.6 | $1.2M | +5.5% | #35 of 387 |
| 3Merced, CA | 71 | 108 | 12.6 | $1.3M | +5.1% | #51 of 387 |
| 4Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 70 | 1,533 | 17.4 | $1.2M | +3.2% | #57 of 387 |
| 5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 56 | 1,595 | 23.5 | $1.1M | −0.6% | #156 of 387 |
| 6Fresno, CA | 51 | 701 | 18.9 | $930K | +3.2% | #201 of 387 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 50 | 508 | 17.8 | $955K | +2.3% | #203 of 387 |
| 8Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 48 | 3,106 | 21.4 | $893K | +3.5% | #221 of 387 |
| 9Vallejo, CA | 47 | 328 | 20.8 | $982K | +0.6% | #223 of 387 |
| 10Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 47 | 80 | 18.2 | $919K | +1.0% | #225 of 387 |
| 17San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 34 | 3,237 | 27.6 | $774K | −0.6% | #298 of 387 |
Other business types in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 laundry34
- Clothing and shoe stores40
- Laundromats35
- Dry cleaners30
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 1,190 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 1,384 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 11.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 2,380 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $2.5B a year, or $2,138 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $774K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 27.6 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $774K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area would have about 2,844, against 3,237 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 846 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. The median household income in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area is $106,268 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 34 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #298 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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.