Clothing and laundry · County · Massachusetts
Clothing and shoe stores in Worcester County, MA
How Worcester 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 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #129 of 2,087 scored counties
#3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 314
- 157 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 126
- −22.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $847.2M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,523 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.4
- 42% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 888,502
- +3.7% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Worcester 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 Worcester 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
For clothing and shoe stores, Worcester County has a Groundwork market score of 82 (high): #129 of 2,087 scored counties and #3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for clothing and shoe stores.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Worcester County comes to about $847.2M a year: $2,523 per household, 23% above the U.S. average. Spread across 314 clothing and shoe stores, that is $2.7M per store, 2.1 times 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 314 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Worcester County as of September 2026. Of those, 157 are chain locations, or 50%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 9.4 per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Worcester County was 126 in 2023, down 22.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,665 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $200K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Worcester County. Population estimates put the population change in Worcester County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Worcester 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 | Worcester County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.4 | 16.2 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2.7M | $1.7M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,665 | 1,233 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −22.7% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,523 | $2,675 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $95,939 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 163 → 126−22.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,299
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 550Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 314157 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 667The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $200K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Worcester 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 Worcester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 888,502+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 335,826
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,511 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 574
- Median household income
- $95,939+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,653
- Median home value
- $423,700
- Jobs located here
- 355,505
- Daytime population
- 797,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester 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 Worcester 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 laundry77
- Clothing and shoe stores82
- Laundromats68
- Dry cleaners72
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Worcester County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 314 clothing and shoe stores in Worcester County. 157 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 126 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 22.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 550 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Worcester County, MA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $847.2M a year, or $2,523 per household. That is 23% above the U.S. average (an index of 123, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 314 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2.7M 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 335,826 households in Worcester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Worcester County, MA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Worcester County has 9.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2.7M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Worcester County would have about 667, against 314 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,665 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 22.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Worcester County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Worcester County at 888,502 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 335,826 households. Median household income in Worcester County is $95,939, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Worcester County scores 82 for clothing and shoe stores (high), #129 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Worcester 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 Worcester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Worcester 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 Worcester 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.