Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Wayne County, NC

How Wayne 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,377 of 2,210 scored counties
#54 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
87
31 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
37
−26.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$79.9M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,682 a household
Spending per listing
$919K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.3
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
122,278
+3.8% since 2020

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

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Wayne County comes to about $79.9M a year: $1,682 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 87 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $919K per business, 4% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 87 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 36%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.3, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 37 businesses with payroll in Wayne County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 26.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,284 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 52 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Wayne County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Wayne County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #1,377 of 2,210 scored counties and #54 of 86 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Wayne 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 Wayne County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.321.023.3
Spending per listing$919K$904K$880K
Households per official establishment1,2841,0531,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−26.0%−8.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.8%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,682$1,894$2,055
Median household income$59,733$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4350

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
50 → 37−26.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
467
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
52Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8731 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
91The 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County

Population, 2025 estimate
122,278+3.8% since 2020
Households
47,507
Median age
38.3
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
554 sq. mi.
People per square mile
214
Median household income
$59,733+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,980
Median home value
$178,700
Jobs located here
40,987
Daytime population
111,023Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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
54Wayne County, NC438718.3$919K+3.8%#1,377 of 2,210

Other business types in Wayne 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 Wayne County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 87 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Wayne County. 31 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 26.0% from 2019. Another 52 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $79.9M a year, or $1,682 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $919K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,507 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wayne County has 18.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $919K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Wayne County would have about 91, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,284 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 26.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Wayne County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 122,278 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,507 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $59,733 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.5% 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. Wayne County scores 43 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,377 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.