Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,858 of 2,210 scored counties
#77 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 346
- 145 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 182
- −2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $195M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,915 a household
- Spending per listing
- $564K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.0
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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
For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,858 of 2,210 scored counties and #77 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Buncombe County comes to about $195M a year: $1,915 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $564K per business, 36% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 346 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 145 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 34.0 for every 10,000 households, 46% 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 Buncombe County was 182 in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 560 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $18K has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Buncombe County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Buncombe County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.0 | 21.0 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $564K | $904K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 560 | 1,053 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.1% | −8.3% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,915 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 186 → 182−2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,863
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 165Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 346145 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 222The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $18K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 91 | 35 | 10.6 | $2.1M | +11.0% | #15 of 2,210 |
| 2Lincoln County, NC | 84 | 40 | 10.9 | $1.8M | +13.2% | #83 of 2,210 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 83 | 25 | 8.8 | $2.1M | +18.8% | #96 of 2,210 |
| 4Union County, NC | 82 | 109 | 12.9 | $1.8M | +11.7% | #108 of 2,210 |
| 5Hoke County, NC | 80 | 14 | 7.3 | $2.4M | +9.0% | #129 of 2,210 |
| 6Harnett County, NC | 80 | 50 | 10.0 | $1.8M | +12.3% | #140 of 2,210 |
| 7Pender County, NC | 80 | 28 | 11.1 | $1.7M | +19.0% | #141 of 2,210 |
| 8Orange County, NC | 80 | 87 | 15.2 | $1.5M | +6.1% | #148 of 2,210 |
| 9Granville County, NC | 77 | 22 | 9.8 | $1.9M | +2.1% | #185 of 2,210 |
| 10Davie County, NC | 76 | 26 | 15.1 | $1.3M | +6.9% | #220 of 2,210 |
| 77Buncombe County, NC | 30 | 346 | 34.0 | $564K | +2.9% | #1,858 of 2,210 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 laundry30
- Clothing and shoe stores31
- Laundromats64
- Dry cleaners69
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Buncombe County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 346 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Buncombe County. 145 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 182 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 2.1% from 2019. Another 165 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $195M a year, or $1,915 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 346 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $564K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Buncombe County has 34.0 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $564K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 222, against 346 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 560 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 30 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,858 of 2,210 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.