Clothing and laundry · County · Massachusetts
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Essex County, MA
How Essex County, MA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,107 of 2,210 scored counties
#8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 842
- 319 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 354
- −12.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $825.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,637 a household
- Spending per listing
- $981K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.9
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 842 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Essex County. Of those, 319 are chain locations, or 38%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 26.9 for every 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
At $2,637 per household (28% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $825.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 842 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $981K per business, 11% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Essex County was 354 in 2023, down 12.6% from 2019. That is one for every 885 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 574 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Essex County.
Population estimates show Essex County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #1,107 of 2,210 scored counties and #8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.9 | 25.1 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $981K | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 885 | 916 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.6% | −12.8% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,637 | $2,675 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 405 → 354−12.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,637
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $111.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 574Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 842319 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 938The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Franklin County, MA | 78 | 27 | 8.6 | $2.5M | −0.3% | #165 of 2,210 |
| 2Hampshire County, MA | 78 | 96 | 15.5 | $1.6M | +10.4% | #178 of 2,210 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 77 | 503 | 15.0 | $1.7M | +3.7% | #189 of 2,210 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 65 | 435 | 21.4 | $1.3M | +3.5% | #538 of 2,210 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 60 | 1,493 | 23.5 | $1.3M | +2.8% | #715 of 2,210 |
| 6Bristol County, MA | 58 | 514 | 22.0 | $1.1M | +2.9% | #787 of 2,210 |
| 7Hampden County, MA | 54 | 353 | 19.1 | $1.1M | +0.2% | #949 of 2,210 |
| 8Essex County, MA | 51 | 842 | 26.9 | $981K | +2.3% | #1,107 of 2,210 |
| 9Norfolk County, MA | 50 | 811 | 28.6 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #1,127 of 2,210 |
| 10Suffolk County, MA | 38 | 1,085 | 33.2 | $778K | +0.1% | #1,595 of 2,210 |
Other business types in Essex 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 laundry51
- Clothing and shoe stores57
- Laundromats52
- Dry cleaners42
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Essex County, MA?
Essex County has 842 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 319 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 354 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 12.6% from 2019. Another 574 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $825.8M a year, or $2,637 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 842 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $981K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Essex County has 26.9 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $981K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Essex County would have about 938, against 842 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 885 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 51 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #1,107 of 2,210 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.