Clothing and laundry · Metro area · District of Columbia
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #65 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 4,896
- 2,231 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 2,585
- −13.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $6B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,548 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.6
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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
At $2,548 per household (24% above the U.S. average), households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $6B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each business on map listings, 40% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 4,896 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 2,231 are chain locations, or 46%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.6, 12% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 2,585 businesses with payroll in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 13.9% from 2019. That is one for every 918 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 5,157 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 68 SBA-backed loans worth $18.3M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
Population estimates show the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #65 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares
The same measures for District of Columbia 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 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.6 | 19.4 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.2M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 918 | 1,043 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.9% | −18.6% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,548 | $2,411 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $126,684 | $109,870 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 75 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,585−13.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 32,902
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $795.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5,157Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,8962,231 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6,868The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 68
- Amount
- $18.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,373,022
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 6,034 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,047
- Median household income
- $126,684
- Average household income
- $166,652
- Median home value
- $579,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,140,160
- Daytime population
- 6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 laundry68
- Clothing and shoe stores74
- Laundromats71
- Dry cleaners40
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,896 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 2,231 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 2,585 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 13.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 5,157 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $6B a year, or $2,548 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,896 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 20.6 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.2M, 40% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 6,868, against 4,896 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 918 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 68 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #65 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria 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.