Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Dare County, NC

How Dare 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 31 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,837 of 2,210 scored counties
#76 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
110
33 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
69
+1.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$35.1M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,085 a household
Spending per listing
$319K
64% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
65.3
2.8 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,245
+3.3% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Dare 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 Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Dare County is 31 (lower middle), #1,837 of 2,210 scored counties and #76 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 110 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Dare County. 33 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 65.3 for every 10,000 households, 2.8 times the U.S. rate of 23.3.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Dare County comes to about $35.1M a year: $2,085 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $319K of household spending for each business on map listings, 64% below the U.S. figure of $880K.

In 2023, official counts showed 69 businesses with payroll in Dare County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 244 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Population estimates show Dare County grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Dare 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 Dare County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureDare CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households65.321.023.3
Spending per listing$319K$904K$880K
Households per official establishment2441,0531,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.5%−8.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,085$1,894$2,055
Median household income$88,994$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3150

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
68 → 69+1.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
459
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
22Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11033 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
40The 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 Dare 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 Dare County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,245+3.3% since 2020
Households
16,836
Median age
49.2
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
383 sq. mi.
People per square mile
99
Median household income
$88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$129,955
Median home value
$460,400
Jobs located here
17,198
Daytime population
38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dare 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 Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Dare 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
76Dare County, NC3111065.3$319K+3.3%#1,837 of 2,210

Other business types in Dare 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 Dare County, NC?

Dare County has 110 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 69 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $35.1M a year, or $2,085 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 110 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $319K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,836 households in Dare County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Dare County has 65.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 2.8 times the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $319K, 64% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Dare County would have about 40, against 110 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 244 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Dare County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Dare County at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. Median household income in Dare County is $88,994, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 49.9%, 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. Dare County scores 31 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,837 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dare 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 Dare 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.