Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Lancaster, PA metro area
How the Lancaster, PA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #116 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 475
- 216 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 197
- −16.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $496M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,331 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.3
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 563,159
- +1.9% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster metro area. 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
Households in the Lancaster metro area spend about $496M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,331 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1M per business, 19% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 475 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Lancaster metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 216 are chain locations, or 45%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 22.3 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 197 businesses with payroll in the Lancaster metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 16.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,080 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 322 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $270K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Lancaster metro area.
Population estimates show the Lancaster metro area grew 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lancaster metro area scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #116 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Lancaster metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Lancaster metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.3 | 20.4 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,080 | 1,256 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.5% | −17.2% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,331 | $2,270 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $86,959 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 197−16.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,452
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $48.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 322Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 475216 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 563The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $270K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 563,159+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 212,748
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 591
- Median household income
- $86,959+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,346
- Median home value
- $301,100
- Jobs located here
- 258,003
- Daytime population
- 553,680Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster metro area. 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Lancaster metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1York-Hanover, PA | 88 | 282 | 15.5 | $1.5M | +3.6% | #7 of 387 |
| 2Lebanon, PA | 86 | 64 | 11.3 | $1.9M | +2.2% | #9 of 387 |
| 3Chambersburg, PA | 86 | 89 | 14.0 | $1.5M | +3.0% | #10 of 387 |
| 4Reading, PA | 83 | 268 | 16.4 | $1.4M | +2.7% | #12 of 387 |
| 5Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 81 | 585 | 17.2 | $1.4M | +3.0% | #17 of 387 |
| 6Gettysburg, PA | 77 | 80 | 19.6 | $1.2M | +3.6% | #27 of 387 |
| 7State College, PA | 76 | 99 | 16.8 | $1.3M | −0.4% | #30 of 387 |
| 8Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 73 | 490 | 19.9 | $1.1M | +4.2% | #45 of 387 |
| 9Johnstown, PA | 66 | 89 | 15.9 | $1.2M | −3.2% | #84 of 387 |
| 10Pittsburgh, PA | 66 | 2,093 | 19.7 | $1.1M | −1.3% | #87 of 387 |
| 11Lancaster, PA | 62 | 475 | 22.3 | $1M | +1.9% | #116 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lancaster metro area
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 laundry62
- Clothing and shoe stores61
- Laundromats64
- Dry cleaners77
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Lancaster, PA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 475 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Lancaster metro area. 216 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 197 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 16.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 322 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lancaster, PA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $496M a year, or $2,331 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 475 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 212,748 households in the Lancaster metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lancaster, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Lancaster metro area has 22.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Lancaster metro area would have about 563, against 475 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,080 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lancaster, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lancaster metro area at 563,159 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,748 households. The median household income in the Lancaster metro area is $86,959 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. The Lancaster metro area scores 62 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #116 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.