Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in the Carbondale, IL area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Carbondale, IL area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #442 of 536 scored small-town markets
#19 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois

Listings
38
23 chain locations (61%)
Official establishments
19
−24.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$38.5M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,677 a household
Spending per listing
$1M
20% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.6
2% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
52,501
−1.5% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale area. 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

The Carbondale area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #442 of 536 scored small-town markets and #19 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

At $1,677 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in the Carbondale area spend about $38.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 38 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1M per store, 20% 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 38 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Carbondale area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 61% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.6, 2% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Carbondale area classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 24.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,208 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Carbondale area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Carbondale area compares

The same measures for Illinois 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 Carbondale, IL area compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureCarbondale areaIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.615.916.2
Spending per listing$1M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,2081,3811,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−24.0%−15.0%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,677$2,141$2,055
Median household income$48,763$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score3048

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19−24.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
247
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
49Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3823 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
30The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale area

Population, 2025 estimate
52,501−1.5% since 2020
Households
22,955
Median age
37.7
Homes lived in by their owners
50%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
584 sq. mi.
People per square mile
91
Median household income
$48,763
Average household income
$70,409
Median home value
$137,300
Jobs located here
23,658
Daytime population
57,693Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Carbondale area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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.

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Clothing and shoe stores across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Illinois for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Carbondale area marked.

Top small-town markets in Illinois

Small-town markets in Illinois ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Rochelle, IL79178.2$2.4M−0.7%#34 of 536
2Pontiac, IL71149.6$2M−2.1%#93 of 536
3Centralia, IL66117.1$2.5M−3.4%#125 of 536
4Lincoln, IL61108.9$2.1M−2.5%#169 of 536
5Dixon, IL601914.2$1.3M−3.4%#184 of 536
6Canton, IL581712.3$1.4M−2.0%#200 of 536
7Galesburg, IL552411.4$1.5M−4.1%#227 of 536
8Marion-Herrin, IL554314.8$1.2M+0.2%#229 of 536
9Sterling, IL553414.7$1.2M−2.6%#230 of 536
10Taylorville, IL541813.2$1.4M−1.5%#240 of 536
19Carbondale, IL303816.6$1M−1.5%#442 of 536

Other business types in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale, IL area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 38 clothing and shoe stores in the Carbondale area. 23 of them (61%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 24.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 49 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Carbondale, IL area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $38.5M a year, or $1,677 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $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 22,955 households in the Carbondale area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Carbondale, IL area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Carbondale area has 16.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Carbondale area would have about 30, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,208 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 24.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Carbondale, IL area growing?

Population estimates put the Carbondale area at 52,501 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,955 households. Median household income in the Carbondale area is $48,763, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Carbondale area scores 30 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #442 of 536 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Carbondale 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 Carbondale area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Carbondale area?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.