Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Alabama
Clothing and shoe stores in the Mobile, AL metro area
How the Mobile, AL metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #362 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 309
- 117 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 141
- −6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $276.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,712 a household
- Spending per listing
- $896K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.1
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 411,658
- −0.7% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Mobile 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 Mobile metro 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 Mobile metro area scores 19 (low) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #362 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 309 clothing and shoe stores in the Mobile metro area. 117 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.1, 18% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Mobile metro area comes to about $276.8M a year: $1,712 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $896K of household spending for each store on map listings, 29% 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.
Official counts show 141 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Mobile metro area in 2023, down 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,147 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $806K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Mobile metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Mobile metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Mobile 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.
| Measure | Mobile metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.1 | 17.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $896K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,147 | 1,169 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.0% | −7.5% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,712 | $1,778 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $58,880 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 141−6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,468
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 551Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 309117 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 218The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $806K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Mobile 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 Mobile metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 411,658−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 161,665
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,229 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 336
- Median household income
- $58,880
- Average household income
- $81,726
- Median home value
- $190,700
- Jobs located here
- 181,672
- Daytime population
- 421,837Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mobile 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 Mobile metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing 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 Mobile metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 65 | 325 | 15.8 | $1.3M | +12.5% | #96 of 387 |
| 2Auburn-Opelika, AL | 51 | 99 | 12.9 | $1.4M | +7.1% | #200 of 387 |
| 3Decatur, AL | 48 | 99 | 15.8 | $1.1M | +2.5% | #217 of 387 |
| 4Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 33 | 269 | 27.3 | $705K | +14.8% | #305 of 387 |
| 5Tuscaloosa, AL | 29 | 184 | 17.4 | $1M | +2.9% | #319 of 387 |
| 6Birmingham, AL | 28 | 932 | 20.0 | $940K | +1.4% | #325 of 387 |
| 7Montgomery, AL | 27 | 254 | 16.8 | $1M | +0.9% | #330 of 387 |
| 8Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 26 | 126 | 19.8 | $864K | +3.5% | #335 of 387 |
| 9Gadsden, AL | 25 | 69 | 17.5 | $915K | +0.4% | #339 of 387 |
| 10Dothan, AL | 21 | 131 | 21.5 | $782K | +3.4% | #357 of 387 |
| 11Mobile, AL | 19 | 309 | 19.1 | $896K | −0.7% | #362 of 387 |
Other business types in the Mobile metro 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 laundry20
- Clothing and shoe stores19
- Laundromats37
- Dry cleaners23
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Mobile, AL metro area?
The Mobile metro area has 309 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 117 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 141 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 6.0% from 2019. Official counts list 551 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Mobile, AL metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $276.8M a year, or $1,712 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 309 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $896K 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 161,665 households in the Mobile metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mobile, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Mobile metro area has 19.1 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $896K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Mobile metro area would have about 218, against 309 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,147 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Mobile, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Mobile metro area at 411,658 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 161,665 households. The median household income in the Mobile metro area is $58,880 a year, 27% 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. 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 Mobile metro area scores 19 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #362 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 Mobile 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 Mobile metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mobile 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 Mobile 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.