Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Iowa
Clothing and shoe stores in the Mason City, IA area
How the Mason City, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #357 of 536 scored small-town markets
#10 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 42
- 21 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $42.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,884 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,710
- −1.5% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Mason City 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 Mason City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey 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 42 clothing and shoe stores in the Mason City area. Of those, 21 are chain locations, or 50%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 18.5 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Households in the Mason City area spend about $42.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,884 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 20% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 17 businesses with payroll in the Mason City area classed as clothing and shoe stores. That is one for every 1,336 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Mason City area declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Mason City area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #357 of 536 scored small-town markets and #10 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Mason City area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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.
| Measure | Mason City area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 15.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,336 | 1,499 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −14.3% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,884 | $1,967 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $68,926 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17
- Employees, 2023
- 195
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4221 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The 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 the Mason City 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 Mason City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,710−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 22,716
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,926+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,964
- Median home value
- $162,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,592
- Daytime population
- 51,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mason City 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 Mason City area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing and shoe stores across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Iowa for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Mason City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marshalltown, IA | 75 | 11 | 7.1 | $2.6M | −0.5% | #57 of 536 |
| 2Muscatine, IA | 66 | 19 | 11.0 | $1.7M | −3.0% | #132 of 536 |
| 3Le Mars, IA | 65 | 11 | 10.7 | $1.9M | 0.0% | #138 of 536 |
| 4Clinton, IA | 60 | 24 | 12.3 | $1.5M | −0.9% | #182 of 536 |
| 5Pella, IA | 60 | 20 | 15.0 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #185 of 536 |
| 6Fort Madison, IA | 57 | 18 | 12.6 | $1.4M | −3.6% | #213 of 536 |
| 7Oskaloosa, IA | 55 | 13 | 14.9 | $1.2M | −1.2% | #231 of 536 |
| 8Ottumwa, IA | 50 | 25 | 17.9 | $995K | −0.3% | #278 of 536 |
| 9Fort Dodge, IA | 45 | 31 | 20.2 | $897K | −0.4% | #317 of 536 |
| 10Mason City, IA | 40 | 42 | 18.5 | $1M | −1.5% | #357 of 536 |
Other business types in the Mason City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry42
- Clothing and shoe stores40
- Laundromats
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Mason City, IA area?
The Mason City area has 42 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts also show 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Mason City, IA area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $42.8M a year, or $1,884 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 22,716 households in the Mason City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mason City, IA area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Mason City area has 18.5 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Mason City area would have about 34, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,336 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.
How fast is the Mason City, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Mason City area at 49,710 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,716 households. The median household income in the Mason City area is $68,926 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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 Mason City area scores 40 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #357 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 Mason City 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 Mason City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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.