Groundwork

Market rankings · Maine

Clothing and shoe stores in Maine

Markets across Maine ranked by the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
715
316 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
377
−15.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.3B
On clothing, shoes and related services
Listings per 10k households
12.0
26% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$1.8M
44% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#2 of 51
Market score 84 · High

A site report maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings around any address in Maine by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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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

As of September 2026, map listings count 715 clothing and shoe stores in Maine. Of those, 316 are chain locations, or 44%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Maine comes to about $1.3B a year: $2,189 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 44% 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 377 businesses with payroll in Maine classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 15.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count fell 12.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Maine.

Among the 50 states and DC, Maine ranks #2 for clothing and shoe stores, with a Groundwork market score of 84 (high). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Lewiston-Auburn metro area scores highest (89). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine, the Augusta-Waterville area, scores 85.

Every market in Maine for clothing and shoe stores

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Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maine, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Maine, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lewiston-Auburn, ME89275.8$3.5M+4.8%#3 of 387
2Bangor, ME846810.4$2M+3.8%#13 of 387
3Portland-South Portland, ME5941817.4$1.4M+4.5%#139 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Maine, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Augusta-Waterville, ME85458.3$2.5M+3.5%#12 of 536

Counties

Counties in Maine, ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Oxford County, ME8883.3$6M+4.2%#34 of 2,087
2Androscoggin County, ME87275.8$3.5M+4.8%#53 of 2,087
3Sagadahoc County, ME83127.3$3.1M+3.4%#108 of 2,087
4Somerset County, ME82104.3$4.4M+2.3%#118 of 2,087
5Waldo County, ME8084.6$4.5M+2.6%#149 of 2,087
6Kennebec County, ME80458.3$2.5M+3.5%#156 of 2,087
7Penobscot County, ME746810.4$2M+3.8%#266 of 2,087
8Lincoln County, ME731710.2$2.1M+3.8%#292 of 2,087
9Aroostook County, ME72227.3$2.6M−0.7%#316 of 2,087
10Franklin County, ME72107.9$2.5M+4.6%#319 of 2,087
11Piscataquis County, ME7289.5$2M+3.5%#327 of 2,087
12Washington County, ME7196.3$3M+0.8%#339 of 2,087
13Hancock County, ME573614.1$1.5M+3.0%#786 of 2,087
14Knox County, ME552915.7$1.4M+1.1%#865 of 2,087
15York County, ME5515517.0$1.4M+4.8%#869 of 2,087
16Cumberland County, ME5325119.0$1.3M+4.5%#948 of 2,087

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Maine?

Maine has 715 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 316 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 377 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 15.1% from 2019. Another 630 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Maine spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $1.3B a year, or $2,189 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 715 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 597,159 households in Maine and national spending patterns by income.

How does Maine compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

Maine has 12.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.8M, 44% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Maine would have about 1,029, against 715 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

Which market in Maine has the highest market score for clothing and shoe stores?

Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Lewiston-Auburn metro area scores highest, at 89 (high). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine is the Augusta-Waterville area, at 85 (high). Among 16 scored counties in Maine, Oxford County scores highest, at 88 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Maine scores 84 for clothing and shoe stores (high), #2 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maine. 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.

Clothing and shoe stores in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for clothing and shoe stores across the U.S. · All business types in Maine

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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.