Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Iowa

Clothing and shoe stores in Union County, IA

How Union County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,615 of 2,087 scored counties
#54 of 66 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
6
1 chain location (17%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$8.6M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,682 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.7
28% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
11,829
−2.5% since 2020

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

Union County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #1,615 of 2,087 scored counties and #54 of 66 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 6 clothing and shoe stores in Union County. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 44% across the U.S. That is 11.7 per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in Union County spend about $8.6M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,682 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.4M per store, 13% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Union County classed as clothing and shoe stores. That is one for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Union County 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.

Clothing and shoe stores in Union County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureUnion CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.715.616.2
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,2791,4991,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−14.3%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,682$1,967$2,055
Median household income$57,772$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score3348

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 4
Employees, 2023
17
Annual payroll, 2023
$181K
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
61 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The 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 Union 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 Union County

Population, 2025 estimate
11,829−2.5% since 2020
Households
5,116
Median age
41.3
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
424 sq. mi.
People per square mile
28
Median household income
$57,772+15.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,876
Median home value
$122,000
Jobs located here
5,571
Daytime population
12,097Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

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

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA91146.8$3.2M+9.0%#23 of 2,087
2Benton County, IA7787.8$2.6M+1.8%#194 of 2,087
3Bremer County, IA7577.2$2.8M+1.1%#233 of 2,087
4Jasper County, IA75117.3$2.6M+0.9%#236 of 2,087
5Buchanan County, IA7356.1$3.1M+1.3%#276 of 2,087
6Boone County, IA71109.1$2.2M+0.4%#350 of 2,087
7Marshall County, IA70117.1$2.6M−0.5%#371 of 2,087
8Jones County, IA7078.5$2.2M+2.9%#378 of 2,087
9Cedar County, IA6856.6$3M−0.7%#421 of 2,087
10Jackson County, IA6756.1$3.1M−0.8%#449 of 2,087
54Union County, IA33611.7$1.4M−2.5%#1,615 of 2,087

Other business types in Union County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Union County, IA?

Union County has 6 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Union County, IA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $8.6M a year, or $1,682 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 5,116 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Union County has 11.7 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Union County would have about 7, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,279 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is Union County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Union County at 11,829 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,116 households. The median household income in Union County is $57,772 a year, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.8% 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. Union County scores 33 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,615 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.