Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · California

Clothing and shoe stores in San Mateo County, CA

The clothing and shoe stores in San Mateo County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #926 of 2,087 scored counties
#16 of 53 scored counties in California

Listings
424
230 chain locations (54%)
Official establishments
191
−15.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$694.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,628 a household
Spending per listing
$1.6M
29% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.0
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
743,568
−2.5% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 424 clothing and shoe stores in San Mateo County. Chain locations make up 54% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 16.0 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in San Mateo County spend about $694.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,628 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.6M per store, 29% above 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 191 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in San Mateo County in 2023, down 15.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,384 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 362 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.4M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in San Mateo County.

Population estimates show San Mateo County declined 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For clothing and shoe stores, San Mateo County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #926 of 2,087 scored counties and #16 of 53 scored counties in California.

How San Mateo 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 San Mateo County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Mateo CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.018.616.2
Spending per listing$1.6M$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,3841,1211,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−15.9%−11.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,628$2,085$2,055
Median household income$158,855$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5329

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
227 → 191−15.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,389
Annual payroll, 2023
$100M
One-person businesses, 2023
362Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
424230 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
547The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$3.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
743,568−2.5% since 2020
Households
264,419
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
449 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,655
Median household income
$158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$231,822
Median home value
$1,559,600
Jobs located here
425,111
Daytime population
795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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 San Mateo 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
16San Mateo County, CA5342416.0$1.6M−2.5%#926 of 2,087

Other business types in San Mateo County

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

Questions

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

San Mateo County has 424 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 230 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 191 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 15.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 362 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $694.8M a year, or $2,628 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 424 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.

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

San Mateo County has 16.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.6M, 29% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 547, against 424 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,384 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 53 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #926 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 Mateo 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 Mateo County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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.