Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Wisconsin

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Waukesha County, WI

The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Waukesha County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #568 of 2,210 scored counties
#34 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
313
123 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
129
−19.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$402.6M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,387 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
46% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.6
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
417,210
+2.4% since 2020

See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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

Households in Waukesha County spend about $402.6M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,387 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 313 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, that is $1.3M per business, 46% above the U.S. figure of $880K.

There are 313 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Waukesha County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.6, 20% below the U.S. rate of 23.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 129 businesses with payroll in Waukesha County classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners, down 19.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,307 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Another 257 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $610K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Waukesha County.

Population estimates show Waukesha County grew 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, Waukesha County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #568 of 2,210 scored counties and #34 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Waukesha 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry in Waukesha County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureWaukesha CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.618.123.3
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.1M$880K
Households per official establishment1,3071,5531,008
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−19.9%−15.7%−12.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.4%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,387$2,003$2,055
Median household income$106,076$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6472

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
161 → 129−19.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,880
Annual payroll, 2023
$36.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
257Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
313123 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
457The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$610K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
417,210+2.4% since 2020
Households
168,658
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
550 sq. mi.
People per square mile
749
Median household income
$106,076+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$137,605
Median home value
$398,200
Jobs located here
265,439
Daytime population
468,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

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

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1St. Croix County, WI904010.7$2.2M+4.7%#20 of 2,210
2Calumet County, WI86198.9$2.4M+2.9%#60 of 2,210
3Lafayette County, WI8357.4$2.6M+5.2%#92 of 2,210
4Pierce County, WI822012.6$1.7M+3.1%#109 of 2,210
5Oconto County, WI81137.7$2.5M+2.9%#116 of 2,210
6Washington County, WI806611.6$1.9M+1.8%#134 of 2,210
7Adams County, WI7677.4$2.4M+5.2%#204 of 2,210
8Waushara County, WI7587.6$2.4M+2.8%#226 of 2,210
9Grant County, WI75199.5$1.9M+0.9%#232 of 2,210
10Trempealeau County, WI74108.0$2.4M+1.1%#254 of 2,210
34Waukesha County, WI6431318.6$1.3M+2.4%#568 of 2,210

Other business types in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 313 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Waukesha County. 123 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 19.9% from 2019. Official counts list 257 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Waukesha County, WI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $402.6M a year, or $2,387 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 313 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 168,658 households in Waukesha County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Waukesha County has 18.6 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $1.3M, 46% above the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Waukesha County would have about 457, against 313 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,307 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Waukesha County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Waukesha County at 417,210 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,658 households. The median household income in Waukesha County is $106,076 a year, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. 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. Waukesha County scores 64 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (upper middle), #568 of 2,210 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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.