Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Maine
Clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #139 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine
- Listings
- 418
- 208 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 247
- −13.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $580.6M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.4
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 577,635
- +4.5% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland 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
At $2,419 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the Portland-South Portland metro area spend about $580.6M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
There are 418 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Portland-South Portland metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 208 are chain locations, or 50%, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 17.4 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland metro area was 247 in 2023, down 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 972 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 308 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Portland-South Portland metro area grew 4.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Portland-South Portland metro area scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #139 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine.
How the Portland-South Portland metro area compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Portland-South Portland metro area | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.4 | 12.0 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 972 | 1,584 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.4% | −15.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,419 | $2,189 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $92,175 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 247−13.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,627
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $65.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 308Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 418208 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 457The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 577,635+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 240,027
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,081 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 270
- Median household income
- $92,175+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,924
- Median home value
- $420,000
- Jobs located here
- 284,437
- Daytime population
- 573,648Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Maine for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Maine, with the Portland-South Portland metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 89 | 27 | 5.8 | $3.5M | +4.8% | #3 of 387 |
| 2Bangor, ME | 84 | 68 | 10.4 | $2M | +3.8% | #13 of 387 |
| 3Portland-South Portland, ME | 59 | 418 | 17.4 | $1.4M | +4.5% | #139 of 387 |
Other business types in the Portland-South Portland 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 laundry60
- Clothing and shoe stores59
- Laundromats55
- Dry cleaners83
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 418 clothing and shoe stores in the Portland-South Portland metro area. 208 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 247 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.4% from 2019. Official counts list 308 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $580.6M a year, or $2,419 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 418 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per store. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 240,027 households in the Portland-South Portland metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Portland-South Portland metro area has 17.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Portland-South Portland metro area would have about 457, against 418 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 972 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Portland-South Portland metro area at 577,635 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 240,027 households. Median household income in the Portland-South Portland metro area is $92,175, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. The Portland-South Portland metro area scores 59 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #139 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 Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland 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.