Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Connecticut
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
How the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 88 out of 100: High
Ranked #6 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 268
- 93 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $431M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,393 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 83% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.9
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 463,349
- +3.2% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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
For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area has a Groundwork market score of 88 (high): #6 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses.
As of September 2026, map listings count 268 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. 93 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.9, 36% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area comes to about $431M a year: $2,393 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each business on map listings, 83% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area in 2023. That is one for every 2,001 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waterbury-Shelton metro area grew 3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waterbury-Shelton metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Waterbury-Shelton metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.9 | 24.5 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,001 | 965 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −15.5% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,393 | $2,564 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $86,191 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 88 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 90
- Employees, 2023
- 1,426
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 243Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26893 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 490The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 463,349+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 180,116
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 413 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,102
- Median household income
- $86,191
- Average household income
- $114,324
- Median home value
- $317,700
- Jobs located here
- 164,434
- Daytime population
- 395,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Waterbury-Shelton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 88 | 268 | 14.9 | $1.6M | +3.2% | #6 of 387 |
| 2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 68 | 1,043 | 22.4 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #68 of 387 |
| 3Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 58 | 278 | 24.0 | $983K | +2.0% | #144 of 387 |
| 4New Haven, CT | 52 | 618 | 26.8 | $915K | +2.5% | #193 of 387 |
| 5Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 46 | 1,211 | 34.1 | $839K | +3.7% | #235 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 laundry88
- Clothing and shoe stores89
- Laundromats52
- Dry cleaners55
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 268 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 93 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023. Official counts list 243 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $431M a year, or $2,393 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 268 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 180,116 households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 14.9 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.6M, 83% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area would have about 490, against 268 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,001 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterbury-Shelton metro area at 463,349 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 180,116 households. Median household income in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area is $86,191, 7% above 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 88 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (high), #6 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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.