Clothing and laundry · County · Maryland
Clothing and shoe stores in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #544 of 2,087 scored counties
#10 of 23 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 165
- 106 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 98
- −11.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $334.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,762 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 59% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.6
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Howard 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 Howard County. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 165 clothing and shoe stores in Howard County. Chain locations make up 64% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.6, 16% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Howard County comes to about $334.4M a year: $2,762 per household, 34% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per store, 59% 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.
Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Howard County in 2023, down 11.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,235 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 275 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $350K has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Howard County is 64 (upper middle), #544 of 2,087 scored counties and #10 of 23 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.6 | 14.8 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1.5M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,235 | 1,318 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.7% | −16.5% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,762 | $2,283 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111 → 98−11.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,769
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 275Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 165106 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 263The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $350K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Mary’s County, MD | 88 | 32 | 7.5 | $3.2M | +2.4% | #41 of 2,087 |
| 2Calvert County, MD | 87 | 21 | 6.3 | $4.1M | +1.7% | #51 of 2,087 |
| 3Cecil County, MD | 87 | 28 | 6.9 | $3M | +3.2% | #56 of 2,087 |
| 4Carroll County, MD | 82 | 41 | 6.4 | $3.8M | +2.2% | #121 of 2,087 |
| 5Frederick County, MD | 79 | 125 | 11.9 | $2.1M | +11.0% | #175 of 2,087 |
| 6Harford County, MD | 73 | 115 | 11.3 | $2.1M | +2.0% | #295 of 2,087 |
| 7Dorchester County, MD | 70 | 9 | 6.6 | $2.6M | +3.4% | #370 of 2,087 |
| 8Caroline County, MD | 67 | 9 | 7.2 | $2.5M | +2.5% | #457 of 2,087 |
| 9Charles County, MD | 65 | 92 | 15.1 | $1.6M | +5.9% | #534 of 2,087 |
| 10Howard County, MD | 64 | 165 | 13.6 | $2M | +1.9% | #544 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Howard County
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 stores64
- Laundromats86
- Dry cleaners42
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Howard County, MD?
Howard County has 165 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 106 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 11.7% from 2019. Official counts list 275 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $334.4M a year, or $2,762 per household. That is 34% above the U.S. average (an index of 134, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Howard County has 13.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Howard County would have about 263, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,235 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 64 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #544 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.