Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #880 of 2,210 scored counties
#38 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 169
- 64 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 60
- −15.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $168.1M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,796 a household
- Spending per listing
- $995K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.1
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 169 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Gaston County. 64 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 18.1 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Gaston County comes to about $168.1M a year: $1,796 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 169 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $995K per business, 13% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
In 2023, official counts showed 60 businesses with payroll in Gaston County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 15.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,560 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 119 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $762K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Gaston County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gaston County grew 7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Gaston County is 56 (upper middle), #880 of 2,210 scored counties and #38 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.1 | 21.0 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $995K | $904K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,560 | 1,053 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.5% | −8.3% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,796 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 71 → 60−15.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 662
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 119Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16964 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 191The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $762K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 38Gaston County, NC | 56 | 169 | 18.1 | $995K | +7.8% | #880 of 2,210 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 laundry56
- Clothing and shoe stores58
- Laundromats56
- Dry cleaners58
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Gaston County, NC?
There are 169 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. 64 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 60 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 15.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 119 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $168.1M a year, or $1,796 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 169 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $995K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Gaston County has 18.1 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $995K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Gaston County would have about 191, against 169 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,560 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. 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. Gaston County scores 56 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #880 of 2,210 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.