Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in Cook County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Cook County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,366 of 2,087 scored counties
#49 of 70 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
3,785
1,624 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
1,791
−13.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.6B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,168 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.0
11% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
5,194,625
−1.3% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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

At $2,168 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Cook County spend about $4.6B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $1.2M per store, 5% 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 3,785 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 1,624 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.0, 11% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,791 businesses with payroll in Cook County classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,173 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 4,975 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 40 SBA-backed loans worth $15.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Cook County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cook County declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For clothing and shoe stores, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,366 of 2,087 scored counties and #49 of 70 scored counties in Illinois.

How Cook County 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 Cook County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureCook CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.015.916.2
Spending per listing$1.2M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,1731,3811,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.2%−15.0%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,168$2,141$2,055
Median household income$83,498$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score4148

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
2,063 → 1,791−13.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
27,674
Annual payroll, 2023
$702.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
4,975Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3,7851,624 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3,583The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
40
Amount
$15.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
Households
2,100,230
Median age
39.2
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.4
Land area
945 sq. mi.
People per square mile
5,484
Median household income
$83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$120,729
Median home value
$324,500
Jobs located here
2,683,238
Daytime population
5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook 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 Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Boone County, IL8373.6$5.8M+0.4%#101 of 2,087
2Kendall County, IL814610.1$2.4M+9.9%#144 of 2,087
3Woodford County, IL7674.8$4.6M−0.8%#206 of 2,087
4McHenry County, IL761149.7$2.4M+2.5%#214 of 2,087
5Ogle County, IL74178.2$2.4M−0.7%#257 of 2,087
6Grundy County, IL742110.2$2.1M+2.9%#264 of 2,087
7Macoupin County, IL73105.7$3.4M−2.6%#274 of 2,087
8Will County, IL7326610.9$2.2M+2.2%#289 of 2,087
9Monroe County, IL721510.8$2.1M−0.3%#326 of 2,087
10DeKalb County, IL69399.9$2M+1.5%#407 of 2,087
49Cook County, IL413,78518.0$1.2M−1.3%#1,366 of 2,087

Other business types in Cook County

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 Cook County, IL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 3,785 clothing and shoe stores in Cook County. 1,624 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 1,791 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 4,975 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $4.6B a year, or $2,168 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,785 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Cook County has 18.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.2M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Cook County would have about 3,583, against 3,785 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,173 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Cook County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 41 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,366 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.