Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Kentucky
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area
How the Lexington-Fayette, KY 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #287 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky
- Listings
- 555
- 225 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 236
- −14.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $409.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $738K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.7
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 535,174
- +3.4% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 555 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 225 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.7, 10% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
Households in the Lexington-Fayette metro area spend about $409.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,894 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $738K per business, 16% 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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area was 236 in 2023, down 14.8% from 2019. That is one for every 916 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 351 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $649K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Lexington-Fayette metro area.
Population estimates show the Lexington-Fayette metro area grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, the Lexington-Fayette metro area has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #287 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky.
How the Lexington-Fayette metro area compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Lexington-Fayette metro area | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.7 | 19.8 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $738K | $891K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 916 | 1,307 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.8% | −15.2% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,894 | $1,761 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $71,966 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 236−14.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,721
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $55.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 351Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 555225 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 465The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $649K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 535,174+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 216,273
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,470 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 355
- Median household income
- $71,966+22.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,014
- Median home value
- $281,300
- Jobs located here
- 289,772
- Daytime population
- 573,681Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Kentucky for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Kentucky (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Lexington-Fayette metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 67 | 1,784 | 19.7 | $1.1M | +2.7% | #78 of 387 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 56 | 232 | 18.6 | $943K | +8.5% | #160 of 387 |
| 1Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 52 | 1,160 | 20.8 | $915K | +2.9% | #192 of 387 |
| 2Elizabethtown, KY | 49 | 105 | 20.7 | $862K | +2.4% | #210 of 387 |
| 3Bowling Green, KY | 45 | 151 | 20.6 | $835K | +9.5% | #241 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 42 | 274 | 18.0 | $951K | −2.6% | #253 of 387 |
| 4Owensboro, KY | 38 | 104 | 23.0 | $768K | +1.3% | #283 of 387 |
| 5Lexington-Fayette, KY | 37 | 555 | 25.7 | $738K | +3.4% | #287 of 387 |
| 6Paducah, KY-IL | 11 | 139 | 33.3 | $529K | −1.2% | #383 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lexington-Fayette 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 laundry37
- Clothing and shoe stores38
- Laundromats40
- Dry cleaners35
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area?
The Lexington-Fayette metro area has 555 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 225 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 236 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 14.8% from 2019. Another 351 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $409.5M a year, or $1,894 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 555 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $738K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 216,273 households in the Lexington-Fayette metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Lexington-Fayette metro area has 25.7 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $738K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Lexington-Fayette metro area would have about 465, against 555 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 916 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lexington-Fayette metro area at 535,174 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 216,273 households. Median household income in the Lexington-Fayette metro area is $71,966, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.6%, 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. The Lexington-Fayette metro area scores 37 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #287 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 Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lexington-Fayette 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 Lexington-Fayette 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.