Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · West Virginia
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Bluefield, WV-VA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Bluefield, WV-VA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #454 of 536 scored small-town markets
#4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 81
- 29 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- −20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,589 a household
- Spending per listing
- $795K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 96,138
- −3.8% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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
The Bluefield area scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #454 of 536 scored small-town markets and #4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Bluefield area spend about $64.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,589 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 81 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $795K per business, 10% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 81 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in the Bluefield area as of September 2026. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 36%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 20.0 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 28 businesses with payroll in the Bluefield area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,447 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Bluefield area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Bluefield area compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Bluefield area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.0 | 14.9 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $795K | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,447 | 1,804 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.0% | −13.7% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.8% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,589 | $1,698 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $50,550 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28−20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 235
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 56Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The 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 the Bluefield 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 Bluefield area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 96,138−3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 40,514
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 105
- Median household income
- $50,550
- Average household income
- $70,787
- Median home value
- $120,000
- Jobs located here
- 33,948
- Daytime population
- 95,290Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in West Virginia for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bluefield area marked.
Top small-town markets in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairmont, WV | 69 | 27 | 11.6 | $1.5M | −1.2% | #101 of 536 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 43 | 68 | 17.7 | $940K | −1.3% | #326 of 536 |
| 2Clarksburg, WV | 33 | 81 | 22.8 | $759K | −2.4% | #423 of 536 |
| 3Elkins, WV | 30 | 21 | 19.7 | $830K | −3.6% | #440 of 536 |
| 4Bluefield, WV-VA | 28 | 81 | 20.0 | $795K | −3.8% | #454 of 536 |
Other business types in the Bluefield 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 laundry28
- Clothing and shoe stores27
- Laundromats31
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Bluefield, WV-VA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 81 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Bluefield area. 29 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. Another 56 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Bluefield, WV-VA area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $64.4M a year, or $1,589 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $795K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,514 households in the Bluefield area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bluefield, WV-VA area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Bluefield area has 20.0 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $795K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Bluefield area would have about 73, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,447 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bluefield, WV-VA area growing?
Population estimates put the Bluefield area at 96,138 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 40,514 households. The median household income in the Bluefield area is $50,550 a year, 37% 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 Bluefield area scores 28 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #454 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 Bluefield 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 Bluefield area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bluefield 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 Bluefield 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.