Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Colorado

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Boulder, CO metro area

The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Boulder, CO metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #282 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado

Listings
380
150 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
139
−7.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$296.5M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,164 a household
Spending per listing
$780K
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
27.7
19% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
328,560
−0.7% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Boulder 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 Boulder metro area. 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

At $2,164 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in the Boulder metro area spend about $296.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 380 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $780K per business, 11% below the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 380 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Boulder metro area as of September 2026. 150 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 27.7 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Boulder metro area was 139 in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 986 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Another 164 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $424K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Boulder metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Boulder metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Boulder metro area scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #282 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado.

How the Boulder metro area compares

The same measures for Colorado 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 Boulder, CO metro area compared with Colorado and the U.S.
MeasureBoulder metro areaColoradoU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.721.023.3
Spending per listing$780K$957K$880K
Households per official establishment9861,0561,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−7.3%−9.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+3.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,164$2,010$2,055
Median household income$103,994$95,470$80,734
Groundwork market score3857

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
139−7.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,370
Annual payroll, 2023
$33.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
164Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
380150 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
337The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$424K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Boulder 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 Boulder metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
328,560−0.7% since 2020
Households
137,008
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
726 sq. mi.
People per square mile
453
Median household income
$103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$148,846
Median home value
$756,300
Jobs located here
190,563
Daytime population
376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Boulder 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 Boulder metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across Colorado

Every Colorado market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Colorado for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Boulder metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Colorado

Metro areas in Colorado ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Greeley, CO9013711.0$1.8M+14.2%#2 of 387
2Colorado Springs, CO6953717.8$1.1M+3.1%#62 of 387
3Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO642,49320.4$1M+4.1%#102 of 387
4Fort Collins-Loveland, CO5432821.3$927K+4.8%#175 of 387
5Pueblo, CO5110715.6$1M+0.6%#199 of 387
6Grand Junction, CO4213420.4$843K+4.4%#258 of 387
7Boulder, CO3838027.7$780K−0.7%#282 of 387

Other business types in the Boulder metro area

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

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Boulder, CO metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 380 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Boulder metro area. 150 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 139 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 7.3% from 2019. Official counts list 164 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Boulder, CO metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $296.5M a year, or $2,164 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 380 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $780K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in the Boulder metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Boulder, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

The Boulder metro area has 27.7 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $780K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Boulder metro area would have about 337, against 380 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 986 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is the Boulder, CO metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Boulder metro area at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. The median household income in the Boulder metro area is $103,994 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.3% 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 Boulder metro area scores 38 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #282 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 Boulder 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 Boulder metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Boulder 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 Boulder 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.