Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Washington

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in King County, WA

How King County, WA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #600 of 2,210 scored counties
#18 of 31 scored counties in Washington

Listings
1,771
664 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
771
−20.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,357 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
42% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.8
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,344,939
+3.1% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in King 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 King County. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,771 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in King County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.8, 19% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.

Households in King County spend about $2.2B a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,357 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,771 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $1.3M per business, 42% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

Official counts show 771 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in King County in 2023, down 20.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,221 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Another 1,285 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in King County.

Population estimates show King County grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, King County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #600 of 2,210 scored counties and #18 of 31 scored counties in Washington.

How King County compares

The same measures for Washington 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 King County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureKing CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.815.523.3
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.3M$880K
Households per official establishment1,2211,4731,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−20.9%−16.1%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.1%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,357$2,048$2,055
Median household income$124,746$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score6386

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
975 → 771−20.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
11,153
Annual payroll, 2023
$323.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,285Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,771664 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,519The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
21
Amount
$9.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in King 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 King County

Population, 2025 estimate
2,344,939+3.1% since 2020
Households
941,054
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
2,116 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,081
Median household income
$124,746+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$176,807
Median home value
$859,900
Jobs located here
1,503,962
Daytime population
2,645,877Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

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

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Mason County, WA83124.6$3.9M+7.8%#87 of 2,210
2Clark County, WA8020710.6$1.9M+5.3%#135 of 2,210
3Kittitas County, WA752110.5$1.7M+4.2%#237 of 2,210
4Klickitat County, WA7499.1$1.9M+6.6%#262 of 2,210
5Island County, WA71277.5$2.5M−1.5%#331 of 2,210
6Pend Oreille County, WA7158.4$2M+7.1%#338 of 2,210
7Kitsap County, WA7113612.5$1.6M+2.7%#344 of 2,210
8Whitman County, WA70126.4$2.5M+1.5%#362 of 2,210
9Stevens County, WA70189.3$1.8M+6.6%#374 of 2,210
10Pierce County, WA6845513.0$1.6M+2.5%#430 of 2,210
18King County, WA631,77118.8$1.3M+3.1%#600 of 2,210

Other business types in King 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 King County, WA?

There are 1,771 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in King County as of September 2026. 664 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 771 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 20.9% from 2019. Official counts list 1,285 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in King County, WA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $2.2B a year, or $2,357 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,771 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 941,054 households in King County and national spending patterns by income.

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

King County has 18.8 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.3M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, King County would have about 2,519, against 1,771 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,221 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is King County, WA growing?

Population estimates put King County at 2,344,939 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 941,054 households. Median household income in King County is $124,746, 55% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. King County scores 63 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #600 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in King 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 King 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.