Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · New Jersey

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Essex County, NJ

How Essex County, NJ 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 #1,108 of 2,210 scored counties
#13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
800
187 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
457
−12.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$783.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,451 a household
Spending per listing
$980K
11% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
25.0
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
896,379
+4.2% 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.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Essex County comes to about $783.8M a year: $2,451 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That works out to $980K per business, 11% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

Essex County has 800 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.0, 7% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Essex County was 457 in 2023, down 12.1% from 2019. That is one for every 700 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 894 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Essex County.

Population estimates show Essex County grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,108 of 2,210 scored counties and #13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.

How Essex County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry in Essex County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureEssex CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households25.027.123.3
Spending per listing$980K$983K$880K
Households per official establishment7007341,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−12.1%−12.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,451$2,665$2,055
Median household income$80,789$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score5153

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
520 → 457−12.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,902
Annual payroll, 2023
$127.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
894Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
800187 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
890The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$2.7M

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
896,379+4.2% since 2020
Households
319,788
Median age
38.6
Homes lived in by their owners
45%
Vehicles per household
1.3
Land area
126 sq. mi.
People per square mile
6,845
Median household income
$80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,554
Median home value
$524,100
Jobs located here
362,597
Daytime population
843,719Residents 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.

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Salem County, NJ88197.6$2.9M+2.3%#32 of 2,210
2Warren County, NJ885512.1$2M+3.2%#35 of 2,210
3Sussex County, NJ846411.1$2.5M+2.9%#77 of 2,210
4Hunterdon County, NJ6911522.6$1.4M+2.3%#405 of 2,210
5Burlington County, NJ6834519.5$1.4M+4.3%#435 of 2,210
6Gloucester County, NJ6521218.8$1.4M+3.3%#531 of 2,210
7Somerset County, NJ6130423.2$1.3M+3.5%#664 of 2,210
8Ocean County, NJ5851521.1$1.1M+5.6%#783 of 2,210
9Middlesex County, NJ5772423.5$1.2M+2.6%#820 of 2,210
10Mercer County, NJ5534023.6$1.1M+3.3%#914 of 2,210
13Essex County, NJ5180025.0$980K+4.2%#1,108 of 2,210

Other business types in Essex County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Clothing and laundry

Funeral services

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Essex County, NJ?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 800 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Essex County. 187 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 457 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 12.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 894 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $783.8M a year, or $2,451 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 800 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $980K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

Essex County has 25.0 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $980K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Essex County would have about 890, against 800 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 700 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 51 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #1,108 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.

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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.