Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #330 of 536 scored small-town markets
#12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 90
- 48 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- −18.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $69.2M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,985 a household
- Spending per listing
- $769K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.8
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 86,505
- +0.3% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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-Fort Atkinson 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
At $1,985 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area spend about $69.2M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $769K of household spending for each business on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 90 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 48 are chain locations, or 53%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 25.8 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 41 businesses with payroll in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 851 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Another 54 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area grew 0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #330 of 536 scored small-town markets and #12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin.
How the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area 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 | Watertown-Fort Atkinson area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.8 | 18.1 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $769K | $1.1M | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 851 | 1,553 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −18.0% | −15.7% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,985 | $2,003 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $83,750 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41−18.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 516
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 54Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9048 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 79The 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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-Fort Atkinson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 86,505+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 34,873
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 557 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 155
- Median household income
- $83,750+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,082
- Median home value
- $274,100
- Jobs located here
- 34,853
- Daytime population
- 76,557Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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-Fort Atkinson 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Platteville, WI | 83 | 19 | 9.5 | $1.9M | +0.9% | #14 of 536 |
| 2Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 83 | 43 | 14.5 | $1.3M | +2.2% | #18 of 536 |
| 3Menomonie, WI | 81 | 18 | 10.3 | $1.9M | +1.7% | #26 of 536 |
| 4Manitowoc, WI | 81 | 35 | 9.9 | $1.9M | +0.4% | #27 of 536 |
| 5Beaver Dam, WI | 79 | 43 | 12.0 | $1.6M | −0.3% | #36 of 536 |
| 6Sparta, WI | 78 | 22 | 12.0 | $1.5M | +0.6% | #40 of 536 |
| 7Shawano, WI | 76 | 19 | 10.2 | $1.8M | +1.4% | #50 of 536 |
| 8Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI | 75 | 40 | 12.4 | $1.5M | −0.2% | #66 of 536 |
| 9Marinette, WI-MI | 73 | 28 | 9.5 | $1.8M | +0.3% | #76 of 536 |
| 10Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 54 | 98 | 22.7 | $912K | +0.8% | #239 of 536 |
| 12Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 43 | 90 | 25.8 | $769K | +0.3% | #330 of 536 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 laundry43
- Clothing and shoe stores43
- Laundromats72
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 90 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 48 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 18.0% from 2019. Official counts list 54 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $69.2M a year, or $1,985 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 90 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $769K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,873 households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 25.8 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $769K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area would have about 79, against 90 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 851 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area at 86,505 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,873 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area is $83,750 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. 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-Fort Atkinson area scores 43 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #330 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-Fort Atkinson 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-Fort Atkinson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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.