Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Louisiana
Clothing and shoe stores in the Lake Charles, LA metro area
How the Lake Charles, LA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #345 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 166
- 72 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 79
- −21.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $167.2M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,817 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.0
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 244,655
- −3.8% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Lake Charles metro 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 Lake Charles metro 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
The Lake Charles metro area scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #345 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 166 clothing and shoe stores in the Lake Charles metro area. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 18.0 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
At $1,817 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in the Lake Charles metro area spend about $167.2M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $1M per store, 21% 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 79 businesses with payroll in the Lake Charles metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 21.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,165 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Lake Charles metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Lake Charles metro area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | Lake Charles metro area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.0 | 20.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $855K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,165 | 1,057 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −21.2% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.8% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,817 | $1,761 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $66,700 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 9 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 79−21.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 776
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 179Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16672 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 132The 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 Lake Charles metro 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 Lake Charles metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 244,655−3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 92,043
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,006 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 81
- Median household income
- $66,700
- Average household income
- $91,252
- Median home value
- $207,800
- Jobs located here
- 97,089
- Daytime population
- 245,958Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lake Charles metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Lake Charles metro 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 Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Louisiana for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Louisiana, with the Lake Charles metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hammond, LA | 58 | 60 | 11.5 | $1.5M | +5.8% | #148 of 387 |
| 2Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 42 | 223 | 21.2 | $943K | +5.3% | #257 of 387 |
| 3Lafayette, LA | 26 | 340 | 20.7 | $850K | +3.8% | #336 of 387 |
| 4Baton Rouge, LA | 26 | 750 | 22.6 | $829K | +2.1% | #337 of 387 |
| 5Lake Charles, LA | 24 | 166 | 18.0 | $1M | −3.8% | #345 of 387 |
| 6Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 22 | 135 | 16.9 | $1M | −3.5% | #351 of 387 |
| 7Alexandria, LA | 14 | 117 | 20.7 | $822K | −2.5% | #375 of 387 |
| 8Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 12 | 334 | 21.3 | $798K | −2.3% | #378 of 387 |
| 9New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 11 | 1,003 | 25.2 | $717K | −3.4% | #381 of 387 |
| 10Monroe, LA | 7 | 212 | 24.4 | $677K | −1.9% | #387 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lake Charles metro 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 laundry28
- Clothing and shoe stores24
- Laundromats37
- Dry cleaners36
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Lake Charles, LA metro area?
The Lake Charles metro area has 166 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 72 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 79 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 21.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 179 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lake Charles, LA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $167.2M a year, or $1,817 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 166 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 92,043 households in the Lake Charles metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lake Charles, LA metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Lake Charles metro area has 18.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Lake Charles metro area would have about 132, against 166 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,165 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 21.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lake Charles, LA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lake Charles metro area at 244,655 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 92,043 households. The median household income in the Lake Charles metro area is $66,700 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Lake Charles metro area scores 24 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #345 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lake Charles metro 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 Lake Charles metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lake Charles metro 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 Lake Charles metro 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.