Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Tennessee
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Knoxville, TN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Knoxville, TN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #94 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 698
- 293 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 292
- −5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $704.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,863 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 968,137
- +6.9% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 698 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Knoxville metro area. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 18.5 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
Households in the Knoxville metro area spend about $704.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,863 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each business on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $880K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Knoxville metro area was 292 in 2023, down 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,295 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Official counts also show 576 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $500K has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Knoxville metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Knoxville metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Knoxville metro area is 65 (upper middle), #94 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Knoxville metro area compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Knoxville metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 22.5 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $818K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,295 | 1,071 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.5% | −8.6% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,863 | $1,842 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $72,422 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 292−5.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,523
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 576Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 698293 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 800The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $500K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 968,137+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 378,234
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,501 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 266
- Median household income
- $72,422
- Average household income
- $98,653
- Median home value
- $290,200
- Jobs located here
- 432,193
- Daytime population
- 955,487Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Tennessee for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Knoxville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Knoxville, TN | 65 | 698 | 18.5 | $1M | +6.9% | #94 of 387 |
| 2Cleveland, TN | 64 | 87 | 17.4 | $994K | +6.1% | #105 of 387 |
| 3Morristown, TN | 61 | 85 | 17.7 | $952K | +7.9% | #124 of 387 |
| 4Clarksville, TN-KY | 56 | 232 | 18.6 | $943K | +8.5% | #160 of 387 |
| 5Chattanooga, TN-GA | 55 | 485 | 21.0 | $893K | +5.3% | #168 of 387 |
| 6Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 49 | 2,124 | 25.6 | $797K | +8.7% | #214 of 387 |
| 7Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 48 | 244 | 18.6 | $903K | +2.3% | #219 of 387 |
| 8Johnson City, TN | 47 | 166 | 18.7 | $902K | +4.3% | #226 of 387 |
| 9Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 24 | 1,348 | 25.8 | $709K | −0.3% | #347 of 387 |
| 10Jackson, TN | 19 | 211 | 29.1 | $576K | +2.2% | #362 of 387 |
Other business types in the Knoxville 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 laundry65
- Clothing and shoe stores62
- Laundromats71
- Dry cleaners76
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Knoxville, TN metro area?
There are 698 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Knoxville metro area as of September 2026. 293 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 292 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 5.5% from 2019. Another 576 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Knoxville, TN metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $704.5M a year, or $1,863 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 698 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 378,234 households in the Knoxville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Knoxville, TN metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Knoxville metro area has 18.5 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Knoxville metro area would have about 800, against 698 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,295 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Knoxville, TN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Knoxville metro area at 968,137 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 378,234 households. Median household income in the Knoxville metro area is $72,422, 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. 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 Knoxville metro area scores 65 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #94 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 Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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.