Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in Ford County, IL

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,627 of 2,087 scored counties
#59 of 70 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
11
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$10.4M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,785 a household
Spending per listing
$946K
26% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.9
17% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
13,216
−2.2% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Ford 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 Ford County. 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 Ford County is 33 (lower middle), #1,627 of 2,087 scored counties and #59 of 70 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Ford County comes to about $10.4M a year: $1,785 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 11 clothing and shoe stores, that is $946K per store, 26% 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 11 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Ford County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.9, 17% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Ford County in 2023. That is one for every 1,943 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ford County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Ford 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 Ford County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureFord CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.915.916.2
Spending per listing$946K$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,9431,3811,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−15.0%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.2%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,785$2,141$2,055
Median household income$62,439$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score3348

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
5
Annual payroll, 2023
$86K
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
110 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
8The 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 Ford 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 Ford County

Population, 2025 estimate
13,216−2.2% since 2020
Households
5,828
Median age
41.5
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
486 sq. mi.
People per square mile
28
Median household income
$62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,163
Median home value
$122,000
Jobs located here
5,845
Daytime population
12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 Ford County. 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 Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Ford 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
59Ford County, IL331118.9$946K−2.2%#1,627 of 2,087

Other business types in Ford County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 11 clothing and shoe stores in Ford County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $10.4M a year, or $1,785 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $946K 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Ford County has 18.9 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $946K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Ford County would have about 8, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,943 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is Ford County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 33 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,627 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.