Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Alabama

Clothing and shoe stores in the Decatur, AL metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Decatur, AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #217 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama

Listings
99
31 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
35
−10.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$112.5M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,796 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.8
2% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,326
+2.5% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Decatur metro area

The site report maps the clothing and shoe stores 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 Decatur metro area. 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 99 clothing and shoe stores in the Decatur metro area. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.8, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in the Decatur metro area spend about $112.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,796 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 99 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.1M per store, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Decatur metro area was 35 in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,790 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 125 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show the Decatur metro area grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing and shoe stores, the Decatur metro area has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #217 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama.

How the Decatur metro area compares

The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the clothing and shoe stores 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 and shoe stores in Decatur, AL metro area compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureDecatur metro areaAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.817.616.2
Spending per listing$1.1M$1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,7901,1691,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−10.3%−7.5%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.5%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,796$1,778$2,055
Median household income$68,116$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score4826

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
35−10.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
346
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
125Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9931 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
89The 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 in the Decatur metro 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 Decatur metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
160,326+2.5% since 2020
Households
62,667
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,270 sq. mi.
People per square mile
124
Median household income
$68,116+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,472
Median home value
$202,500
Jobs located here
58,542
Daytime population
149,857Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Decatur metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the clothing and shoe stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Decatur metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing and shoe stores across Alabama

Every Alabama market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Decatur metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Alabama

Metro areas in Alabama ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Huntsville, AL6532515.8$1.3M+12.5%#96 of 387
2Auburn-Opelika, AL519912.9$1.4M+7.1%#200 of 387
3Decatur, AL489915.8$1.1M+2.5%#217 of 387
4Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL3326927.3$705K+14.8%#305 of 387
5Tuscaloosa, AL2918417.4$1M+2.9%#319 of 387
6Birmingham, AL2893220.0$940K+1.4%#325 of 387
7Montgomery, AL2725416.8$1M+0.9%#330 of 387
8Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL2612619.8$864K+3.5%#335 of 387
9Gadsden, AL256917.5$915K+0.4%#339 of 387
10Dothan, AL2113121.5$782K+3.4%#357 of 387

Other business types in the Decatur metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Decatur, AL metro area?

There are 99 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Decatur metro area as of September 2026. 31 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. Official counts list 125 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Decatur, AL metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $112.5M a year, or $1,796 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 99 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per store. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 62,667 households in the Decatur metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Decatur, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Decatur metro area has 15.8 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.1M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Decatur metro area would have about 89, against 99 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,790 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Decatur, AL metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Decatur metro area at 160,326 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 62,667 households. The median household income in the Decatur metro area is $68,116 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. The Decatur metro area scores 48 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #217 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Decatur metro area. It maps the clothing and shoe stores 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 and shoe stores · All 56 business types in the Decatur metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Decatur metro 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 Decatur metro 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.