Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Clothing and shoe stores in the District of Columbia

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

Listings
431
173 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
217
−13.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$782.4M
On clothing, shoes and related services
Listings per 10k households
13.3
18% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$1.8M
43% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#3 of 51
Market score 81 · High

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

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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

There are 431 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the District of Columbia as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 13.3 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the District of Columbia comes to about $782.4M a year: $2,411 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per store, 43% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

Official counts show 217 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the District of Columbia in 2023, down 13.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,495 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $5.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #3 for clothing and shoe stores, with a Groundwork market score of 81 (high). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 74.

Every market in the District of Columbia for clothing and shoe stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, 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 the District of Columbia, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV743,30113.9$1.8M+3.3%#41 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored43113.3$1.8M+3.4%

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 the District of Columbia?

As of September 2026, map listings count 431 clothing and shoe stores in the District of Columbia. 173 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 217 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.5% from 2019. Another 450 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $782.4M a year, or $2,411 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 431 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The District of Columbia has 13.3 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.8M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 616, against 431 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,495 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for clothing and shoe stores?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 74 (upper middle). 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. The District of Columbia scores 81 for clothing and shoe stores (high), #3 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 the District of Columbia. 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 and shoe stores in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for clothing and shoe stores across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.