Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Rhode Island

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Kent County, RI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Kent County, RI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,061 of 2,210 scored counties
#3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island

Listings
180
70 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
72
−25.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$178.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,455 a household
Spending per listing
$993K
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
24.7
6% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
173,495
+1.8% since 2020

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

At $2,455 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $178.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $993K of household spending for each business on map listings, 13% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

Kent County has 180 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 70 are chain locations, or 39%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 24.7, 6% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 72 businesses with payroll in Kent County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,012 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Another 89 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kent County grew 1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Kent County is 52 (upper middle), #1,061 of 2,210 scored counties and #3 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.

How Kent County compares

The same measures for Rhode Island 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 Kent County, RI compared with Rhode Island and the U.S.
MeasureKent CountyRhode IslandU.S.
Listings per 10k households24.726.423.3
Spending per listing$993K$902K$880K
Households per official establishment1,0128661,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−25.0%−6.8%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.8%+1.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,455$2,383$2,055
Median household income$94,345$87,796$80,734
Groundwork market score5242

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
96 → 72−25.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,002
Annual payroll, 2023
$21.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
89Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
18070 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
203The 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 Kent 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 Kent County

Population, 2025 estimate
173,495+1.8% since 2020
Households
72,839
Median age
44.4
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
169 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,017
Median household income
$94,345+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,389
Median home value
$366,100
Jobs located here
79,114
Daytime population
158,826Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Clothing, shoes and laundry across Rhode Island

Every Rhode Island market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Kent County marked.

Top counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bristol County, RI574120.4$1.4M−1.5%#808 of 2,210
2Washington County, RI5411521.9$1.2M0.0%#944 of 2,210
3Kent County, RI5218024.7$993K+1.8%#1,061 of 2,210
4Providence County, RI4865825.4$884K+2.8%#1,205 of 2,210
5Newport County, RI2517346.9$555K−2.9%#1,983 of 2,210

Other business types in Kent 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 Kent County, RI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 180 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Kent County. 70 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 25.0% from 2019. Official counts list 89 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Kent County, RI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $178.8M a year, or $2,455 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 180 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $993K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,839 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Kent County has 24.7 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $993K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Kent County would have about 203, against 180 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,012 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Kent County, RI growing?

Population estimates put Kent County at 173,495 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,839 households. The median household income in Kent County is $94,345 a year, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Kent County scores 52 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #1,061 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.