Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · New York

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Cortland, NY area

The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Cortland, NY area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #84 of 536 scored small-town markets
#8 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York

Listings
31
8 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$39M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,053 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
43% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.3
30% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
45,850
−1.9% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Cortland 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 Cortland area. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 31 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Cortland area. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 26%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 16.3 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Cortland area comes to about $39M a year: $2,053 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 31 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $1.3M per business, 43% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Cortland area in 2023. That is one for every 4,750 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in the Cortland area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, the Cortland area has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #84 of 536 scored small-town markets and #8 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.

How the Cortland area compares

The same measures for New York 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 Cortland, NY area compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureCortland areaNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.331.723.3
Spending per listing$1.3M$772K$880K
Households per official establishment4,7506631,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−15.4%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.9%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,053$2,448$2,055
Median household income$70,418$85,974$80,734
Groundwork market score7227

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4
Employees, 2023
110
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
17Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
318 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Cortland 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 Cortland area

Population, 2025 estimate
45,850−1.9% since 2020
Households
18,999
Median age
39.1
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
499 sq. mi.
People per square mile
93
Median household income
$70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,337
Median home value
$162,100
Jobs located here
17,001
Daytime population
43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Cortland area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Cortland area. 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 York

Every New York market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in New York for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in New York, with the Cortland area marked.

Top small-town markets in New York

Small-town markets in New York ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Monticello, NY863812.1$1.8M+2.7%#8 of 536
2Amsterdam, NY832613.3$1.5M+1.1%#17 of 536
3Auburn, NY783711.7$1.7M−2.3%#38 of 536
4Oneonta, NY783916.8$1.2M+3.8%#42 of 536
5Batavia, NY763212.9$1.6M+0.2%#52 of 536
6Corning, NY754912.5$1.6M−1.6%#61 of 536
7Massena-Ogdensburg, NY755112.2$1.6M−2.5%#62 of 536
8Cortland, NY723116.3$1.3M−1.9%#84 of 536
9Olean, NY684614.4$1.3M−2.1%#110 of 536
10Gloversville, NY684017.5$1.1M−1.6%#113 of 536

Other business types in the Cortland area

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

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Cortland, NY area?

The Cortland area has 31 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Cortland, NY area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $39M a year, or $2,053 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,999 households in the Cortland area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Cortland, NY area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

The Cortland area has 16.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.3M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Cortland area would have about 44, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,750 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S.

How fast is the Cortland, NY area growing?

Population estimates put the Cortland area at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in the Cortland area is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Cortland area scores 72 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #84 of 536 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cortland 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 Cortland area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cortland 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 Cortland 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.