Market rankings · California

Clothing and shoe stores in California

Every metro area, small-town market and county in California, ranked by the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 25,253; 9,936 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments: 12,086; −11.1% since 2019
Household spending a year: $28.2B; On clothing, shoes and related services
Listings per 10k households: 18.6; 15% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $1.1M; 12% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #46 of 51; Market score 29 · Lower middle

A site report maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 25,253 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in California as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 18.6 per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

At $2,085 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in California spend about $28.2B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

In 2023, official counts showed 12,086 businesses with payroll in California classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,121 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count fell 12.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 318 SBA-backed loans worth $127M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #46 for clothing and shoe stores, with a Groundwork market score of 29 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Stockton-Lodi metro area scores highest (77). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest (72).

Every market in California for clothing and shoe stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching California, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Stockton-Lodi, CA	77	272	11.1	$1.8M	+5.5%	#27 of 387
2Yuba City, CA	75	48	7.8	$2.3M	+3.3%	#35 of 387
3Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	73	1,031	11.7	$1.7M	+3.2%	#46 of 387
4Merced, CA	70	77	8.9	$1.8M	+5.1%	#59 of 387
5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	60	1,022	15.0	$1.8M	−0.6%	#125 of 387
6Hanford-Corcoran, CA	56	47	10.7	$1.6M	+1.0%	#162 of 387
7Fresno, CA	54	480	13.0	$1.4M	+3.2%	#180 of 387
8San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	53	3,000	17.2	$1.4M	−2.4%	#185 of 387
9Bakersfield-Delano, CA	52	345	12.1	$1.4M	+2.3%	#191 of 387
10Vallejo, CA	51	224	14.2	$1.4M	+0.6%	#199 of 387
11Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	49	2,210	15.2	$1.3M	+3.5%	#212 of 387
12Redding, CA	48	88	12.4	$1.4M	−0.3%	#213 of 387
13Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	46	309	16.2	$1.3M	−0.4%	#229 of 387
14Modesto, CA	43	268	15.1	$1.2M	+0.7%	#240 of 387
15Chico, CA	42	114	13.7	$1.3M	−0.5%	#250 of 387
16San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	40	2,111	18.0	$1.2M	−0.6%	#269 of 387
17Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	37	179	18.5	$1.2M	−4.7%	#285 of 387
18Visalia, CA	35	227	15.9	$1.1M	+2.4%	#292 of 387
19Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	31	578	20.6	$1.1M	−1.5%	#311 of 387
20San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	29	231	21.1	$959K	0.0%	#321 of 387
21Napa, CA	28	106	21.3	$1M	−3.3%	#323 of 387
22Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	28	321	21.5	$966K	−1.4%	#324 of 387
23Salinas, CA	25	278	21.0	$957K	−1.5%	#338 of 387
24Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	23	11,172	24.8	$824K	−2.6%	#350 of 387
25El Centro, CA	8	141	28.4	$550K	+1.1%	#386 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	72	20	9.2	$2.1M	+0.9%	#82 of 536
1Red Bluff, CA	66	14	5.6	$2.9M	−1.7%	#124 of 536
2Clearlake, CA	63	8	3.0	$5.5M	−0.6%	#153 of 536
3Sonora, CA	54	27	11.9	$1.5M	−4.0%	#239 of 536
4Bishop, CA	53	7	8.7	$2M	−4.4%	#243 of 536
5Susanville, CA	49	5	5.4	$3M	−13.1%	#279 of 536
6Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	46	72	16.8	$1.2M	−0.4%	#305 of 536
7Crescent City, CA	40	10	10.5	$1.6M	−4.4%	#352 of 536
8Ukiah, CA	31	51	14.6	$1.2M	−3.5%	#429 of 536
9Eureka-Arcata, CA	29	89	16.2	$1M	−3.4%	#449 of 536

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA	81	22	10.7	$2.1M	+8.6%	#146 of 2,087
2Yuba County, CA	79	8	2.8	$6.2M	+8.2%	#165 of 2,087
3Yolo County, CA	77	58	7.6	$2.6M	+3.1%	#193 of 2,087
4El Dorado County, CA	73	60	7.9	$2.8M	+0.6%	#282 of 2,087
5Calaveras County, CA	72	15	8.1	$2.3M	+2.8%	#324 of 2,087
6Madera County, CA	66	43	9.5	$1.9M	+7.4%	#495 of 2,087
7San Joaquin County, CA	66	272	11.1	$1.8M	+5.5%	#499 of 2,087
8Amador County, CA	66	19	11.8	$1.6M	+3.2%	#509 of 2,087
9Contra Costa County, CA	65	465	11.2	$2.1M	+0.3%	#518 of 2,087
10Tehama County, CA	63	14	5.6	$2.9M	−1.7%	#562 of 2,087
11Placer County, CA	62	222	14.1	$1.6M	+8.9%	#622 of 2,087
12Merced County, CA	61	77	8.9	$1.8M	+5.1%	#643 of 2,087
13Lake County, CA	59	8	3.0	$5.5M	−0.6%	#693 of 2,087
14Sacramento County, CA	58	691	12.1	$1.6M	+2.0%	#745 of 2,087
15Santa Clara County, CA	53	1,000	15.2	$1.8M	−0.9%	#923 of 2,087
16San Mateo County, CA	53	424	16.0	$1.6M	−2.5%	#926 of 2,087
17Riverside County, CA	52	1,219	15.7	$1.2M	+5.0%	#993 of 2,087
18Alameda County, CA	50	901	15.1	$1.6M	−2.6%	#1,042 of 2,087
19Tuolumne County, CA	49	27	11.9	$1.5M	−4.0%	#1,087 of 2,087
20Solano County, CA	48	224	14.2	$1.4M	+0.6%	#1,124 of 2,087
21Kings County, CA	47	47	10.7	$1.6M	+1.0%	#1,149 of 2,087
22Lassen County, CA	46	5	5.4	$3M	−13.1%	#1,171 of 2,087
23Plumas County, CA	46	6	7.4	$2.3M	−5.9%	#1,173 of 2,087
24Inyo County, CA	46	7	8.7	$2M	−4.4%	#1,174 of 2,087
25Sutter County, CA	46	40	12.0	$1.5M	−0.7%	#1,187 of 2,087

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Kern County, CA	46	345	12.1	$1.4M	+2.3%	#1,191 of 2,087
27Fresno County, CA	46	437	13.5	$1.3M	+2.6%	#1,193 of 2,087
28Sonoma County, CA	45	309	16.2	$1.3M	−0.4%	#1,214 of 2,087
29Shasta County, CA	43	88	12.4	$1.4M	−0.3%	#1,286 of 2,087
30San Bernardino County, CA	43	991	14.7	$1.3M	+1.9%	#1,293 of 2,087
31Glenn County, CA	42	8	8.2	$2M	−2.6%	#1,317 of 2,087
32Mariposa County, CA	42	8	10.7	$1.6M	−1.2%	#1,321 of 2,087
33Stanislaus County, CA	41	268	15.1	$1.2M	+0.7%	#1,365 of 2,087
34San Diego County, CA	41	2,111	18.0	$1.2M	−0.6%	#1,368 of 2,087
35Siskiyou County, CA	39	14	7.3	$2.1M	−4.5%	#1,422 of 2,087
36Butte County, CA	39	114	13.7	$1.3M	−0.5%	#1,430 of 2,087
37Nevada County, CA	38	72	16.8	$1.2M	−0.4%	#1,471 of 2,087
38Orange County, CA	37	2,241	20.7	$1.1M	−1.1%	#1,503 of 2,087
39Tulare County, CA	37	227	15.9	$1.1M	+2.4%	#1,504 of 2,087
40Santa Cruz County, CA	36	179	18.5	$1.2M	−4.7%	#1,532 of 2,087
41Marin County, CA	35	243	23.6	$1.1M	−2.9%	#1,567 of 2,087
42Del Norte County, CA	34	10	10.5	$1.6M	−4.4%	#1,586 of 2,087
43Ventura County, CA	34	578	20.6	$1.1M	−1.5%	#1,593 of 2,087
44San Luis Obispo County, CA	33	231	21.1	$959K	0.0%	#1,626 of 2,087
45Napa County, CA	31	106	21.3	$1M	−3.3%	#1,671 of 2,087
46Santa Barbara County, CA	31	321	21.5	$966K	−1.4%	#1,678 of 2,087
47San Francisco County, CA	31	967	26.6	$934K	−5.6%	#1,681 of 2,087
48Monterey County, CA	30	278	21.0	$957K	−1.5%	#1,715 of 2,087
49Mono County, CA	28	11	19.2	$1.1M	−5.4%	#1,768 of 2,087
50Mendocino County, CA	26	51	14.6	$1.2M	−3.5%	#1,803 of 2,087
51Humboldt County, CA	25	89	16.2	$1M	−3.4%	#1,837 of 2,087
52Los Angeles County, CA	24	8,931	26.1	$758K	−3.0%	#1,867 of 2,087
53Imperial County, CA	12	141	28.4	$550K	+1.1%	#2,059 of 2,087
Colusa County, CA	Not scored	4	5.3	$3.3M	−0.1%
Trinity County, CA	Not scored	4	7.2	$2.2M	−2.3%
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	1	3.1	$5M	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	1	8.2	$2M	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−11.6%

Markets with fewer than 5 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in California?

As of September 2026, map listings count 25,253 clothing and shoe stores in California. 9,936 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 12,086 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. Another 29,398 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in California spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $28.2B a year, or $2,085 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25,253 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per store. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.

How does California compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

California has 18.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.1M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, California would have about 22,234, against 25,253 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,121 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for clothing and shoe stores?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Stockton-Lodi metro area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 53 scored counties in California, San Benito County scores highest, at 81 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. California scores 29 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #46 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in California. 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry37,881 listings
Laundromats2,804 listings
Dry cleaners2,202 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in California?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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