Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in DeKalb County, IL

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #407 of 2,087 scored counties
#10 of 70 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
39
17 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
12
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$76.9M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,945 a household
Spending per listing
$2M
55% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.9
39% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
101,835
+1.5% since 2020

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

Households in DeKalb County spend about $76.9M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,945 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $2M of household spending for each store on map listings, 55% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

DeKalb County has 39 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 9.9 per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in DeKalb County classed as clothing and shoe stores. That is one for every 3,296 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 54 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of DeKalb County grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). DeKalb County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #407 of 2,087 scored counties and #10 of 70 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How DeKalb 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 DeKalb County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureDeKalb CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.915.916.2
Spending per listing$2M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment3,2961,3811,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−15.0%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,945$2,141$2,055
Median household income$70,724$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score6948

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
12 → 12
Employees, 2023
157
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
54Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3917 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
61The 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb County

Population, 2025 estimate
101,835+1.5% since 2020
Households
39,550
Median age
35.2
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
631 sq. mi.
People per square mile
160
Median household income
$70,724+11.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,834
Median home value
$243,600
Jobs located here
34,194
Daytime population
89,501Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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

Other business types in DeKalb County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in DeKalb County, IL?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 clothing and shoe stores in DeKalb County. 17 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts list 54 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $76.9M a year, or $1,945 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $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 39,550 households in DeKalb County and national spending patterns by income.

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

DeKalb County has 9.9 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, DeKalb County would have about 61, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,296 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is DeKalb County, IL growing?

Population estimates put DeKalb County at 101,835 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 39,550 households. Median household income in DeKalb County is $70,724, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 11.7%, 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. DeKalb County scores 69 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #407 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in DeKalb 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 DeKalb 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.