Clothing and laundry · Metro area · New York
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #207 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 99
- 52 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- −18.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,023 a household
- Spending per listing
- $973K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.8
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,540
- −3.9% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area comes to about $96.3M a year: $2,023 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 99 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $973K per business, 10% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area has 99 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 52 are chain locations, or 53%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 20.8 per 10,000 households, 11% below 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 the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area was 40 in 2023, down 18.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,190 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 57 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #207 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York.
How the Watertown-Fort Drum metro 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.
| Measure | Watertown-Fort Drum metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.8 | 31.7 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $973K | $772K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,190 | 663 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −18.4% | −15.4% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,023 | $2,448 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $66,301 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 27 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40−18.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 462
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9952 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 109The 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,540−3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 47,606
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,268 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 91
- Median household income
- $66,301+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,210
- Median home value
- $188,200
- Jobs located here
- 34,253
- Daytime population
- 112,470Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 New York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in New York for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in New York, with the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ithaca, NY | 77 | 68 | 15.7 | $1.4M | −1.4% | #26 of 387 |
| 2Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 73 | 728 | 19.0 | $1.3M | +1.9% | #43 of 387 |
| 3Utica-Rome, NY | 69 | 206 | 17.0 | $1.2M | −2.0% | #60 of 387 |
| 4Binghamton, NY | 68 | 180 | 17.6 | $1.2M | −1.3% | #66 of 387 |
| 5Syracuse, NY | 67 | 477 | 17.6 | $1.3M | −1.3% | #75 of 387 |
| 6Rochester, NY | 67 | 843 | 18.9 | $1.2M | −0.7% | #77 of 387 |
| 7Kingston, NY | 65 | 180 | 24.2 | $986K | +1.1% | #96 of 387 |
| 8Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 58 | 1,017 | 20.3 | $1.1M | −0.8% | #138 of 387 |
| 9Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 49 | 99 | 20.8 | $973K | −3.9% | #207 of 387 |
| 10Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 44 | 778 | 30.5 | $834K | +3.0% | #250 of 387 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 laundry49
- Clothing and shoe stores54
- Laundromats36
- Dry cleaners48
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 99 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area. 52 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 18.4% from 2019. Another 57 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $96.3M a year, or $2,023 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 99 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $973K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,606 households in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area has 20.8 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $973K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area would have about 109, against 99 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,190 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 18.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area at 111,540 people in 2025, down 3.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 47,606 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area is $66,301 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area scores 49 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #207 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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.