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Clothing and laundry · County · California

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in San Diego County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in San Diego County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,669 of 2,210 scored counties
#40 of 55 scored counties 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 San Diego County

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 San Diego County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in San Diego County is 36 (lower middle), #1,669 of 2,210 scored counties and #40 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in San Diego County. Of those, 1,190 are chain locations, or 37%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 27.6, 18% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

At $2,138 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in San Diego County 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in San Diego County was 1,384 in 2023, 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 San Diego County. Population estimates put the population change in San Diego County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How San Diego County 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry in San Diego County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Diego CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.628.023.3
Spending per listing$774K$746K$880K
Households per official establishment8468841,008
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 score3625

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,556 → 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 San Diego County, 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 San Diego County

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 San Diego County?

These figures cover the whole county. 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 San Diego County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in California, with San Diego County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA80144.9$3.5M+8.2%#126 of 2,210
2San Benito County, CA753416.5$1.3M+8.6%#249 of 2,210
3Yolo County, CA719412.3$1.6M+3.1%#345 of 2,210
4Calaveras County, CA702413.0$1.4M+2.8%#386 of 2,210
5El Dorado County, CA6810013.1$1.7M+0.6%#428 of 2,210
6Amador County, CA672616.2$1.1M+3.2%#468 of 2,210
7Colusa County, CA6356.7$2.6M−0.1%#577 of 2,210
8San Joaquin County, CA6240816.6$1.2M+5.5%#636 of 2,210
9Madera County, CA616614.5$1.2M+7.4%#678 of 2,210
10Contra Costa County, CA6073117.6$1.3M+0.3%#711 of 2,210
40San Diego County, CA363,23727.6$774K−0.6%#1,669 of 2,210

Other business types in San Diego County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in San Diego County, CA?

San Diego County has 3,237 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 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 San Diego County, CA 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 San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.

How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

San Diego County 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 national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, San Diego County 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 San Diego County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Diego County 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. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 36 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,669 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego County. 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 San Diego County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego County?

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 San Diego County. 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.