Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Catawba County, NC

How Catawba 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 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,712 of 2,210 scored counties
#69 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
188
69 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
71
−20.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$118.2M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,784 a household
Spending per listing
$629K
29% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
28.4
22% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
170,172
+5.8% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Catawba 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 Catawba 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

The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Catawba County is 35 (lower middle), #1,712 of 2,210 scored counties and #69 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 188 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Catawba County. Of those, 69 are chain locations, or 37%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 28.4 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Catawba County comes to about $118.2M a year: $1,784 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $629K per business, 29% below the U.S. figure of $880K.

Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Catawba County in 2023, down 20.2% from 2019. That is one for every 933 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Population estimates show Catawba County grew 5.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Catawba 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry in Catawba County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureCatawba CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households28.421.023.3
Spending per listing$629K$904K$880K
Households per official establishment9331,0531,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−20.2%−8.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.8%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,784$1,894$2,055
Median household income$67,864$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3550

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
89 → 71−20.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,118
Annual payroll, 2023
$20.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
90Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
18869 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
134The 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 Catawba 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 Catawba County

Population, 2025 estimate
170,172+5.8% since 2020
Households
66,227
Median age
41.7
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
401 sq. mi.
People per square mile
408
Median household income
$67,864+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,959
Median home value
$241,600
Jobs located here
91,506
Daytime population
180,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Catawba 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 Catawba 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 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 Catawba County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chatham County, NC913510.6$2.1M+11.0%#15 of 2,210
2Lincoln County, NC844010.9$1.8M+13.2%#83 of 2,210
3Franklin County, NC83258.8$2.1M+18.8%#96 of 2,210
4Union County, NC8210912.9$1.8M+11.7%#108 of 2,210
5Hoke County, NC80147.3$2.4M+9.0%#129 of 2,210
6Harnett County, NC805010.0$1.8M+12.3%#140 of 2,210
7Pender County, NC802811.1$1.7M+19.0%#141 of 2,210
8Orange County, NC808715.2$1.5M+6.1%#148 of 2,210
9Granville County, NC77229.8$1.9M+2.1%#185 of 2,210
10Davie County, NC762615.1$1.3M+6.9%#220 of 2,210
69Catawba County, NC3518828.4$629K+5.8%#1,712 of 2,210

Other business types in Catawba County

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

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Catawba County, NC?

There are 188 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Catawba County as of September 2026. 69 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 20.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 90 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Catawba County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $118.2M a year, or $1,784 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 188 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $629K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 66,227 households in Catawba County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Catawba County has 28.4 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $629K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Catawba County would have about 134, against 188 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 933 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Catawba County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Catawba County at 170,172 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 66,227 households. Median household income in Catawba County is $67,864, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.4%, 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. Catawba County scores 35 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,712 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Catawba 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 Catawba County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Catawba 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 Catawba 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.