Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · South Dakota

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown, SD area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown, SD area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #367 of 536 scored small-town markets
#8 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota

Listings
38
18 chain locations (47%)
Official establishments
15
−28.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$23M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,835 a household
Spending per listing
$605K
31% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
30.3
30% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
29,562
+4.3% since 2020

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

At $1,835 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in the Watertown area spend about $23M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $605K of household spending for each business on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 38 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Watertown area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 47% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 30.3 per 10,000 households, 30% above 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 Watertown area was 15 in 2023, down 28.6% from 2019. That is one for every 835 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.8M has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Watertown area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Watertown area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #367 of 536 scored small-town markets and #8 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota.

How the Watertown area compares

The same measures for South Dakota 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 Watertown, SD area compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureWatertown areaSouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households30.322.023.3
Spending per listing$605K$888K$880K
Households per official establishment8351,0441,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−28.6%−6.2%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.3%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,835$1,951$2,055
Median household income$72,727$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score4046

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15−28.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
97
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
18Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3818 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$1.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
29,562+4.3% since 2020
Households
12,526
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
688 sq. mi.
People per square mile
42
Median household income
$72,727
Average household income
$90,805
Median home value
$237,700
Jobs located here
16,302
Daytime population
29,337Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Watertown area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Watertown 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 South Dakota

Every South Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Dakota for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with the Watertown area marked.

Top small-town markets in South Dakota

Small-town markets in South Dakota ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Huron, SD611418.6$978K+2.4%#173 of 536
2Brookings, SD603626.1$728K+9.6%#187 of 536
3Vermillion, SD541018.0$990K+0.2%#237 of 536
4Yankton, SD502727.8$677K+1.5%#273 of 536
5Pierre, SD502731.6$630K−0.5%#275 of 536
6Spearfish, SD424033.2$569K+14.0%#346 of 536
7Mitchell, SD412825.5$725K+0.6%#354 of 536
8Watertown, SD403830.3$605K+4.3%#367 of 536
9Aberdeen, SD374726.2$732K−1.5%#390 of 536

Other business types in the Watertown area

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

Clothing and laundry

Funeral services

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Watertown, SD area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 38 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown area. 18 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 28.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Watertown, SD area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $23M a year, or $1,835 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $605K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,526 households in the Watertown area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Watertown, SD area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

The Watertown area has 30.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $605K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Watertown area would have about 26, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 835 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 28.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is the Watertown, SD area growing?

Population estimates put the Watertown area at 29,562 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,526 households. The median household income in the Watertown area is $72,727 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Watertown area scores 40 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #367 of 536 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Watertown 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 Watertown area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown area?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.