Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · California

Clothing and shoe stores in Orange County, CA

How Orange County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,503 of 2,087 scored counties
#38 of 53 scored counties in California

Listings
2,241
934 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
1,132
−9.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.4B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,254 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
14% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.7
28% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,149,507
−1.1% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Orange County

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 Orange 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

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Orange County comes to about $2.4B a year: $2,254 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

There are 2,241 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Orange County as of September 2026. 934 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That is 20.7 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 1,132 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Orange County in 2023, down 9.8% from 2019. That is one for every 957 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 2,746 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 41 SBA-backed loans worth $21.5M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Orange County.

Population estimates show Orange County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Orange County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #1,503 of 2,087 scored counties and #38 of 53 scored counties in California.

How Orange County compares

The same measures for California 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 Orange County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureOrange CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.718.616.2
Spending per listing$1.1M$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment9571,1211,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.8%−11.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,254$2,085$2,055
Median household income$116,289$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score3729

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,255 → 1,132−9.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
19,639
Annual payroll, 2023
$595.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
2,746Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,241934 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,921The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
41
Amount
$21.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Orange 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 Orange County

Population, 2025 estimate
3,149,507−1.1% since 2020
Households
1,082,960
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
56%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
793 sq. mi.
People per square mile
3,991
Median household income
$116,289+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$156,761
Median home value
$962,600
Jobs located here
1,713,003
Daytime population
3,381,147Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 and shoe stores on map listings by name and distance.

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

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Clothing and shoe stores across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in California, with Orange County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA812210.7$2.1M+8.6%#146 of 2,087
2Yuba County, CA7982.8$6.2M+8.2%#165 of 2,087
3Yolo County, CA77587.6$2.6M+3.1%#193 of 2,087
4El Dorado County, CA73607.9$2.8M+0.6%#282 of 2,087
5Calaveras County, CA72158.1$2.3M+2.8%#324 of 2,087
6Madera County, CA66439.5$1.9M+7.4%#495 of 2,087
7San Joaquin County, CA6627211.1$1.8M+5.5%#499 of 2,087
8Amador County, CA661911.8$1.6M+3.2%#509 of 2,087
9Contra Costa County, CA6546511.2$2.1M+0.3%#518 of 2,087
10Tehama County, CA63145.6$2.9M−1.7%#562 of 2,087
38Orange County, CA372,24120.7$1.1M−1.1%#1,503 of 2,087

Other business types in Orange County

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

Clothing and laundry

Funeral services

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Orange County, CA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,241 clothing and shoe stores in Orange County. 934 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 1,132 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 9.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 2,746 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Orange County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $2.4B a year, or $2,254 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,241 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 1,082,960 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Orange County, CA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

Orange County has 20.7 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.1M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Orange County would have about 1,921, against 2,241 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 957 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Orange County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Orange County at 3,149,507 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,082,960 households. Median household income in Orange County is $116,289, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Orange County scores 37 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,503 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange County. 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 Orange County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.