Clothing and laundry · County · Massachusetts
Clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk County, MA
How Suffolk 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 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,195 of 2,087 scored counties
#10 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 657
- 299 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 320
- −9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $844.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,581 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 791,891
- +0.1% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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
At $2,581 per household (26% above the U.S. average), households in Suffolk County spend about $844.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
Suffolk County has 657 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 20.1 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk County was 320 in 2023, down 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,022 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 475 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $854K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Suffolk County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk County is 46 (lower middle), #1,195 of 2,087 scored counties and #10 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 16.2 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.7M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,022 | 1,233 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.3% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,581 | $2,675 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $95,631 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 353 → 320−9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,011
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $161.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 475Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 657299 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 665The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $854K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 791,891+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 327,167
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 36%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.0
- Land area
- 58 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13,478
- Median household income
- $95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,221
- Median home value
- $705,800
- Jobs located here
- 748,596
- Daytime population
- 1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 laundry38
- Clothing and shoe stores46
- Laundromats43
- Dry cleaners29
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Suffolk County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 657 clothing and shoe stores in Suffolk County. 299 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 320 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 9.3% from 2019. Official counts list 475 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $844.3M a year, or $2,581 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 657 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Suffolk County has 20.1 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 665, against 657 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,022 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 46 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,195 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.