Clothing and laundry · County · Maryland
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Howard County, MD
The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Howard County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #710 of 2,210 scored counties
#12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 248
- 131 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 130
- −14.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $334.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,762 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 53% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.5
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Howard 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 Howard County. 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 $2,762 per household (34% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $334.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each business on map listings, 53% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
Howard County has 248 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 53% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.5, 12% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 130 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 14.5% from 2019. That is one for every 931 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 304 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Howard County is 60 (upper middle), #710 of 2,210 scored counties and #12 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.5 | 21.2 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 931 | 984 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.5% | −15.3% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,762 | $2,283 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 152 → 130−14.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,988
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $48.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 304Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 248131 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 380The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cecil County, MD | 87 | 40 | 9.9 | $2.1M | +3.2% | #50 of 2,210 |
| 2St. Mary’s County, MD | 85 | 50 | 11.8 | $2.1M | +2.4% | #72 of 2,210 |
| 3Calvert County, MD | 84 | 33 | 9.9 | $2.6M | +1.7% | #76 of 2,210 |
| 4Carroll County, MD | 77 | 68 | 10.6 | $2.3M | +2.2% | #182 of 2,210 |
| 5Frederick County, MD | 75 | 182 | 17.4 | $1.4M | +11.0% | #247 of 2,210 |
| 6Caroline County, MD | 72 | 10 | 8.0 | $2.2M | +2.5% | #306 of 2,210 |
| 7Harford County, MD | 70 | 161 | 15.8 | $1.5M | +2.0% | #383 of 2,210 |
| 8Dorchester County, MD | 68 | 14 | 10.3 | $1.7M | +3.4% | #427 of 2,210 |
| 9Somerset County, MD | 66 | 5 | 6.0 | $2.8M | +1.7% | #469 of 2,210 |
| 10Charles County, MD | 63 | 123 | 20.2 | $1.2M | +5.9% | #602 of 2,210 |
| 12Howard County, MD | 60 | 248 | 20.5 | $1.3M | +1.9% | #710 of 2,210 |
Other business types in Howard County
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 laundry60
- Clothing and shoe stores64
- Laundromats86
- Dry cleaners42
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Howard County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 248 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Howard County. 131 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 130 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 14.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 304 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $334.4M a year, or $2,762 per household. That is 34% above the U.S. average (an index of 134, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 248 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Howard County has 20.5 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.3M, 53% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Howard County would have about 380, against 248 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 931 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 60 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #710 of 2,210 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.