Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Illinois

Clothing and shoe stores in Stephenson County, IL

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,252 of 2,087 scored counties
#45 of 70 scored counties 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 26 clothing and shoe stores in Stephenson County. 10 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.4, 17% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Stephenson County comes to about $34.5M a year: $1,780 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Stephenson County was 7 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 Stephenson County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stephenson County declined 3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For clothing and shoe stores, Stephenson County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,252 of 2,087 scored counties and #45 of 70 scored counties in Illinois.

How Stephenson 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 Stephenson County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureStephenson CountyIllinoisU.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 score4448

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
11 → 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County

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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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
45Stephenson County, IL442613.4$1.3M−3.0%#1,252 of 2,087

Other business types in Stephenson County

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

Questions

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

Stephenson County has 26 clothing and shoe stores on map listings 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 Stephenson County, IL 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 Stephenson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Stephenson County 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, Stephenson County 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 Stephenson County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Stephenson County 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 Stephenson County 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. 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. Stephenson County scores 44 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,252 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.