Clothing and laundry · County · California
Clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,626 of 2,087 scored counties
#44 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 231
- 72 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 121
- −9.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $221.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,023 a household
- Spending per listing
- $959K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.1
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County. 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 Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County is 33 (lower middle), #1,626 of 2,087 scored counties and #44 of 53 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in San Luis Obispo County spend about $221.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,023 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $959K of household spending for each store on map listings, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
San Luis Obispo County has 231 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 21.1 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 121 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County in 2023, down 9.7% from 2019. That is one for every 905 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $306K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County. Population estimates show San Luis Obispo County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Luis Obispo 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.
| Measure | San Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.1 | 18.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $959K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 905 | 1,121 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.7% | −11.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,023 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 134 → 121−9.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,374
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 165Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23172 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 174The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $306K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County. 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in California, with San Luis Obispo County marked.
Top counties in California
| 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 |
| 44San Luis Obispo County, CA | 33 | 231 | 21.1 | $959K | 0.0% | #1,626 of 2,087 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo County
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 laundry33
- Clothing and shoe stores33
- Laundromats49
- Dry cleaners56
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in San Luis Obispo County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 231 clothing and shoe stores in San Luis Obispo County. 72 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 121 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 9.7% from 2019. Official counts list 165 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Luis Obispo County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $221.5M a year, or $2,023 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 231 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $959K 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 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
San Luis Obispo County has 21.1 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $959K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 174, against 231 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 905 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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. San Luis Obispo County scores 33 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,626 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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.