Clothing and laundry · County · Massachusetts
Clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County, MA
How Middlesex County, MA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #436 of 2,087 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 914
- 479 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 475
- −16.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $3,005 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.4
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 914 clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County. Of those, 479 are chain locations, or 52%, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 14.4 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Households in Middlesex County spend about $1.9B a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $3,005 per household, 46% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 64% 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 475 businesses with payroll in Middlesex County classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 16.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,335 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,048 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County.
Population estimates show Middlesex County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County is 68 (upper middle), #436 of 2,087 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Middlesex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.4 | 16.2 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $1.7M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,335 | 1,233 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.1% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $3,005 | $2,675 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 566 → 475−16.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $192.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,048Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 914479 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,500The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 84 | 52 | 8.4 | $2.9M | +10.4% | #90 of 2,087 |
| 2Franklin County, MA | 82 | 14 | 4.4 | $4.9M | −0.3% | #115 of 2,087 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 82 | 314 | 9.4 | $2.7M | +3.7% | #129 of 2,087 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 71 | 274 | 13.5 | $2.1M | +3.5% | #351 of 2,087 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 68 | 914 | 14.4 | $2.1M | +2.8% | #436 of 2,087 |
| 6Bristol County, MA | 67 | 313 | 13.4 | $1.8M | +2.9% | #472 of 2,087 |
| 7Hampden County, MA | 59 | 230 | 12.5 | $1.7M | +0.2% | #709 of 2,087 |
| 8Essex County, MA | 57 | 557 | 17.8 | $1.5M | +2.3% | #790 of 2,087 |
| 9Norfolk County, MA | 53 | 562 | 19.8 | $1.5M | +2.2% | #935 of 2,087 |
| 10Suffolk County, MA | 46 | 657 | 20.1 | $1.3M | +0.1% | #1,195 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Middlesex 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 stores68
- Laundromats69
- Dry cleaners39
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Middlesex County, MA?
There are 914 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Middlesex County as of September 2026. 479 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 475 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 16.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,048 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.9B a year, or $3,005 per household. That is 46% above the U.S. average (an index of 146, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 914 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Middlesex County has 14.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2.1M, 64% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 1,500, against 914 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,335 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 68 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #436 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.