Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Kentucky

Clothing and shoe stores in Bell County, KY

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,849 of 2,087 scored counties
#60 of 75 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
18
8 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$13.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,384 a household
Spending per listing
$764K
40% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.1
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
22,829
−4.8% since 2020

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

Bell County scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #1,849 of 2,087 scored counties and #60 of 75 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 clothing and shoe stores in Bell County. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 18.1 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Bell County comes to about $13.8M a year: $1,384 per household, 33% below the U.S. average. Spread across 18 clothing and shoe stores, that is $764K per store, 40% 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.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Bell County in 2023. That is one for every 3,313 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates show Bell County declined 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Bell County compares

The same measures for Kentucky 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 Bell County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureBell CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.115.016.2
Spending per listing$764K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment3,3131,5521,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−15.5%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.8%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,384$1,761$2,055
Median household income$31,354$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score2542

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
8 → 3
Employees, 2023
11
Annual payroll, 2023
$167K
One-person businesses, 2023
12Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
188 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
11The 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 Bell 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 Bell County

Population, 2025 estimate
22,829−4.8% since 2020
Households
9,939
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
359 sq. mi.
People per square mile
65
Median household income
$31,354+19.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$49,259
Median home value
$89,000
Jobs located here
7,622
Daytime population
23,467Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Bell 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 Bell 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 Kentucky

Every Kentucky market ranked →

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

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Oldham County, KY93135.6$4.4M+4.9%#11 of 2,087
2Scott County, KY87167.1$2.8M+8.2%#58 of 2,087
3Jessamine County, KY85105.0$3.8M+7.8%#70 of 2,087
4Bullitt County, KY85185.7$3.4M+5.0%#74 of 2,087
5Anderson County, KY7955.2$3.5M+5.5%#167 of 2,087
6Meade County, KY7565.5$3.4M+2.2%#228 of 2,087
7Kenton County, KY74598.8$2.3M+3.9%#259 of 2,087
8Allen County, KY6956.2$2.6M+9.5%#396 of 2,087
9Clark County, KY67138.6$2M+2.3%#467 of 2,087
10Mercer County, KY6688.7$2M+4.8%#491 of 2,087
60Bell County, KY251818.1$764K−4.8%#1,849 of 2,087

Other business types in Bell County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Bell County, KY?

There are 18 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Bell County as of September 2026. 8 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Bell County, KY spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $13.8M a year, or $1,384 per household. That is 33% below the U.S. average (an index of 67, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $764K 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 9,939 households in Bell County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Bell County has 18.1 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $764K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Bell County would have about 11, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,313 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is Bell County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Bell County at 22,829 people in 2025, down 4.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,939 households. The median household income in Bell County is $31,354 a year, 61% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.3% 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. Bell County scores 25 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,849 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Bell 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 Bell 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.