Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Georgia

Clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 19 out of 100: Low

Ranked #361 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia

Listings
223
101 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
115
−13.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$217.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,708 a household
Spending per listing
$977K
23% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.5
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
324,830
−1.3% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Columbus metro area

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 the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus metro area is 19 (low), #361 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Columbus metro area comes to about $217.8M a year: $1,708 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $977K per store, 23% 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 223 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 45% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 17.5 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 115 businesses with payroll in the Columbus metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,109 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $65K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus metro area declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Columbus metro area compares

The same measures for Georgia 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 Columbus, GA-AL metro area compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus metro areaGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.518.616.2
Spending per listing$977K$1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,1091,1351,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.6%−6.5%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,708$1,958$2,055
Median household income$59,336$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score1935

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
115−13.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,354
Annual payroll, 2023
$24.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
282Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
223101 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
172The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$65K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus metro area, 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 the Columbus metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
324,830−1.3% since 2020
Households
127,512
Median age
37.7
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
2,786 sq. mi.
People per square mile
117
Median household income
$59,336+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,434
Median home value
$197,300
Jobs located here
110,573
Daytime population
319,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Clothing and shoe stores across Georgia

Every Georgia market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Georgia

Metro areas in Georgia ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Gainesville, GA86669.0$2.2M+11.4%#11 of 387
2Dalton, GA616312.1$1.4M+3.5%#123 of 387
3Hinesville, GA603712.3$1.3M+12.6%#133 of 387
Chattanooga, TN-GA5236215.6$1.2M+5.3%#197 of 387
4Warner Robins, GA5212016.1$1.2M+8.2%#198 of 387
5Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA504,38018.9$1.1M+5.9%#209 of 387
6Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC3942418.3$1M+4.7%#274 of 387
7Athens-Clarke County, GA3515918.5$991K+3.9%#293 of 387
8Savannah, GA3240325.0$765K+8.1%#309 of 387
9Brunswick-St. Simons, GA2512526.5$685K+4.4%#342 of 387
12Columbus, GA-AL1922317.5$977K−1.3%#361 of 387

Other business types in the Columbus metro area

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 the Columbus, GA-AL metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 223 clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus metro area. 101 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 115 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.6% from 2019. Official counts list 282 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $217.8M a year, or $1,708 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 223 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $977K 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 127,512 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbus, GA-AL metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Columbus metro area has 17.5 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $977K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 172, against 223 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,109 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Columbus, GA-AL metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 324,830 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 127,512 households. Median household income in the Columbus metro area is $59,336, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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. The Columbus metro area scores 19 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #361 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro area. 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 the Columbus metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro area?

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 the Columbus metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Run a site report See plans
Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Screening many markets at once? Talk to us

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.