Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Mecklenburg County, NC

How Mecklenburg 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,358 of 2,210 scored counties
#51 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
1,458
693 chain locations (48%)
Official establishments
666
−5.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$989.3M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,121 a household
Spending per listing
$679K
23% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
31.3
34% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,233,383
+10.5% since 2020

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

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Mecklenburg County comes to about $989.3M a year: $2,121 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,458 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $679K per business, 23% below the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 1,458 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Mecklenburg County as of September 2026. Of those, 693 are chain locations, or 48%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 31.3 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 666 businesses with payroll in Mecklenburg County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 700 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,041 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $11.1M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Mecklenburg County.

Population estimates put the population change in Mecklenburg County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Mecklenburg County is 44 (lower middle), #1,358 of 2,210 scored counties and #51 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMecklenburg CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households31.321.023.3
Spending per listing$679K$904K$880K
Households per official establishment7001,0531,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.9%−8.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,121$1,894$2,055
Median household income$87,005$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4450

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
708 → 666−5.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,065
Annual payroll, 2023
$189.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,041Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,458693 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,124The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
19
Amount
$11.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,233,383+10.5% since 2020
Households
466,527
Median age
36.7
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
524 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,205
Median household income
$87,005+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$128,768
Median home value
$406,800
Jobs located here
829,972
Daytime population
1,424,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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
51Mecklenburg County, NC441,45831.3$679K+10.5%#1,358 of 2,210

Other business types in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,458 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Mecklenburg County. 693 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 666 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,041 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $989.3M a year, or $2,121 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,458 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $679K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 466,527 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Mecklenburg County has 31.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $679K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 1,124, against 1,458 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 700 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Mecklenburg County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 1,233,383 people in 2025, up 10.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 466,527 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $87,005 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 44 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,358 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.