Clothing and laundry · County · Wisconsin
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Milwaukee County, WI
The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Milwaukee County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,659 of 2,210 scored counties
#64 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 837
- 314 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 334
- −11.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $732.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,866 a household
- Spending per listing
- $875K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.3
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County. 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
For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #1,659 of 2,210 scored counties and #64 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 837 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Milwaukee County. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 21.3 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.
At $1,866 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Milwaukee County spend about $732.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $875K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $880K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Milwaukee County was 334 in 2023, down 11.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,175 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Milwaukee County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Milwaukee County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.3 | 18.1 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $875K | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,175 | 1,553 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.4% | −15.7% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,866 | $2,003 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 377 → 334−11.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,311
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $86.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 614Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 837314 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 832The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County. 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Croix County, WI | 90 | 40 | 10.7 | $2.2M | +4.7% | #20 of 2,210 |
| 2Calumet County, WI | 86 | 19 | 8.9 | $2.4M | +2.9% | #60 of 2,210 |
| 3Lafayette County, WI | 83 | 5 | 7.4 | $2.6M | +5.2% | #92 of 2,210 |
| 4Pierce County, WI | 82 | 20 | 12.6 | $1.7M | +3.1% | #109 of 2,210 |
| 5Oconto County, WI | 81 | 13 | 7.7 | $2.5M | +2.9% | #116 of 2,210 |
| 6Washington County, WI | 80 | 66 | 11.6 | $1.9M | +1.8% | #134 of 2,210 |
| 7Adams County, WI | 76 | 7 | 7.4 | $2.4M | +5.2% | #204 of 2,210 |
| 8Waushara County, WI | 75 | 8 | 7.6 | $2.4M | +2.8% | #226 of 2,210 |
| 9Grant County, WI | 75 | 19 | 9.5 | $1.9M | +0.9% | #232 of 2,210 |
| 10Trempealeau County, WI | 74 | 10 | 8.0 | $2.4M | +1.1% | #254 of 2,210 |
| 64Milwaukee County, WI | 36 | 837 | 21.3 | $875K | −1.5% | #1,659 of 2,210 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
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 laundry36
- Clothing and shoe stores39
- Laundromats27
- Dry cleaners48
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Milwaukee County, WI?
There are 837 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. 314 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 334 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 11.4% from 2019. Another 614 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $732.3M a year, or $1,866 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 837 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $875K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Milwaukee County has 21.3 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $875K, in line with the U.S. figure of $880K. At the national ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 832, against 837 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,175 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 36 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,659 of 2,210 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.