Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Ohio

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Columbus, OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 76 out of 100: High

Ranked #31 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
1,577
711 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
667
−11.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.8B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,115 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
32% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.2
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,242,028
+4.7% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Columbus metro area

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 the Columbus metro area. 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

For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, the Columbus metro area has a Groundwork market score of 76 (high): #31 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Columbus metro area comes to about $1.8B a year: $2,115 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,577 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $1.2M per business, 32% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 1,577 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 711 are chain locations, or 45%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 18.2 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Columbus metro area was 667 in 2023, down 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,296 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 41 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Columbus metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Columbus metro area compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Columbus, OH metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.218.023.3
Spending per listing$1.2M$1.1M$880K
Households per official establishment1,2961,3751,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−11.8%−13.3%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,115$1,954$2,055
Median household income$81,945$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score7666

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
667−11.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
9,674
Annual payroll, 2023
$294.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,533Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,577711 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,077The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
41
Amount
$9.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Columbus metro area, 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 the Columbus metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
Households
864,663
Median age
38.1
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,798 sq. mi.
People per square mile
454
Median household income
$81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$110,942
Median home value
$300,800
Jobs located here
1,129,650
Daytime population
2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Columbus, OH761,57718.2$1.2M+4.7%#31 of 387
2Springfield, OH697012.5$1.4M−0.4%#59 of 387
3Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN671,78419.7$1.1M+2.7%#78 of 387
4Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH6562118.0$1.1M+1.5%#93 of 387
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH616012.1$1.4M−3.6%#120 of 387
5Canton-Massillon, OH5728517.0$1.1M−0.2%#148 of 387
6Cleveland, OH571,75718.9$1M−0.8%#150 of 387
7Akron, OH5557519.4$1M0.0%#163 of 387
Wheeling, WV-OH509316.0$1.1M−3.6%#202 of 387
8Toledo, OH4848619.1$983K−1.0%#215 of 387

Other business types in the Columbus metro area

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

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Columbus, OH metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,577 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Columbus metro area. 711 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 667 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 11.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,533 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $1.8B a year, or $2,115 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,577 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

The Columbus metro area has 18.2 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.2M, 32% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 2,077, against 1,577 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,296 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. The Columbus metro area scores 76 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (high), #31 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro area?

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 the Columbus metro area. 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.