Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in the Freeport, IL area

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #265 of 536 scored small-town markets
#13 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois

Listings
26
10 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
7
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$34.5M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,780 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.4
17% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
43,220
−3.0% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 clothing and shoe stores in the Freeport area. Of those, 10 are chain locations, or 38%, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 13.4 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Freeport area comes to about $34.5M a year: $1,780 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per store, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Freeport area in 2023. That is one for every 2,765 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $162K has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Freeport area.

Population estimates show the Freeport area declined 3.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Freeport area is 51 (upper middle), #265 of 536 scored small-town markets and #13 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.

How the Freeport 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 Freeport, IL area compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureFreeport areaIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.415.916.2
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment2,7651,3811,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−15.0%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.0%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,780$2,141$2,055
Median household income$64,043$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score5148

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7
Employees, 2023
49
Annual payroll, 2023
$741K
One-person businesses, 2023
32Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2610 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$162K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
43,220−3.0% since 2020
Households
19,358
Median age
45.6
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
564 sq. mi.
People per square mile
78
Median household income
$64,043+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,920
Median home value
$134,900
Jobs located here
17,326
Daytime population
40,359Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Freeport 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.

Or open the report at the center of the Freeport area. 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 small-town markets in Illinois for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Freeport 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
13Freeport, IL512613.4$1.3M−3.0%#265 of 536

Other business types in the Freeport area

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Freeport, IL area?

There are 26 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Freeport area as of September 2026. 10 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $34.5M a year, or $1,780 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per store. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,358 households in the Freeport area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Freeport area has 13.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.3M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Freeport area would have about 27, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,765 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is the Freeport, IL area growing?

Population estimates put the Freeport area at 43,220 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,358 households. The median household income in the Freeport area is $64,043 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. 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 Freeport area scores 51 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #265 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 Freeport 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 Freeport area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Freeport 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 Freeport area. 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.