Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Indiana

Clothing and shoe stores in Lake County, IN

The clothing and shoe stores in Lake County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #979 of 2,087 scored counties
#43 of 70 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
265
133 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
120
−4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$378M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,937 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
12% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.6
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
504,612
+1.1% since 2020

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

At $1,937 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Lake County spend about $378M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $1.4M per store, 12% above 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 265 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. Of those, 133 are chain locations, or 50%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 13.6 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Lake County in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,626 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 353 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Lake County.

Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Lake County is 52 (upper middle), #979 of 2,087 scored counties and #43 of 70 scored counties in Indiana.

How Lake County compares

The same measures for Indiana 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 Lake County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureLake CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.613.016.2
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,6261,6491,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.8%−14.3%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,937$1,935$2,055
Median household income$71,493$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score5263

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
126 → 120−4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,702
Annual payroll, 2023
$31.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
353Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
265133 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
298The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
504,612+1.1% since 2020
Households
195,130
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
499 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,003
Median household income
$71,493+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,636
Median home value
$230,600
Jobs located here
191,504
Daytime population
472,818Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

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

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hancock County, IN92267.8$2.8M+13.5%#16 of 2,087
2Morgan County, IN87196.7$3M+4.4%#55 of 2,087
3Boone County, IN863512.2$2.1M+13.5%#67 of 2,087
4Floyd County, IN84226.9$3M+2.0%#88 of 2,087
5Warrick County, IN84197.6$2.9M+4.4%#91 of 2,087
6Madison County, IN80305.6$3.2M+3.8%#153 of 2,087
7Porter County, IN79507.3$2.9M+1.6%#169 of 2,087
8Jasper County, IN7875.5$3.5M+3.0%#179 of 2,087
9Dearborn County, IN77178.4$2.4M+1.7%#200 of 2,087
10Wells County, IN7565.2$3.5M+2.6%#227 of 2,087
43Lake County, IN5226513.6$1.4M+1.1%#979 of 2,087

Other business types in Lake County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Lake County, IN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 265 clothing and shoe stores in Lake County. 133 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 353 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lake County, IN spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $378M a year, or $1,937 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 265 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 195,130 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lake County has 13.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Lake County would have about 298, against 265 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,626 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Lake County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Lake County at 504,612 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 195,130 households. Median household income in Lake County is $71,493, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.4%, 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. Lake County scores 52 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #979 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.