Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Michigan
Clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton, MI area
The clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton, MI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #54 of 536 scored small-town markets
#4 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 13
- 8 chain locations (62%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,802 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 68% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 48% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,028
- +1.8% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Houghton area comes to about $27.8M a year: $1,802 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 68% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
The Houghton area has 13 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 62% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 8.4 per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton area in 2023. That is one for every 3,860 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Houghton area grew 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton area is 76 (high), #54 of 536 scored small-town markets and #4 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Houghton area compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Houghton area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.4 | 14.1 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,860 | 1,511 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −13.3% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,802 | $1,975 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $58,128 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 25
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $440K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 138 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton 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 Houghton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,028+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 15,440
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,549 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $58,128+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,984
- Median home value
- $160,800
- Jobs located here
- 12,154
- Daytime population
- 38,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Houghton area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Houghton 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Houghton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 79 | 46 | 10.1 | $2M | +2.1% | #35 of 536 |
| 2Hillsdale, MI | 76 | 11 | 6.2 | $2.9M | 0.0% | #47 of 536 |
| 3Owosso, MI | 76 | 20 | 7.1 | $2.6M | −0.4% | #51 of 536 |
| 4Houghton, MI | 76 | 13 | 8.4 | $2.1M | +1.8% | #54 of 536 |
| 5Coldwater, MI | 74 | 12 | 7.1 | $2.5M | +2.5% | #65 of 536 |
| 6Sturgis, MI | 73 | 18 | 7.6 | $2.3M | +0.1% | #71 of 536 |
| 7Big Rapids, MI | 72 | 15 | 9.0 | $1.9M | +4.7% | #86 of 536 |
| Marinette, WI-MI | 70 | 22 | 7.5 | $2.3M | +0.3% | #97 of 536 |
| 8Adrian, MI | 68 | 35 | 9.0 | $2.1M | −1.6% | #111 of 536 |
| 9Alma, MI | 66 | 9 | 6.1 | $2.9M | −1.1% | #123 of 536 |
Other business types in the Houghton 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 laundry77
- Clothing and shoe stores76
- Laundromats
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Houghton, MI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 clothing and shoe stores in the Houghton area. 8 of them (62%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts list 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Houghton, MI area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $27.8M a year, or $1,802 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 15,440 households in the Houghton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Houghton, MI area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Houghton area has 8.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2.1M, 68% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Houghton area would have about 22, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,860 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.
How fast is the Houghton, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Houghton area at 40,028 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,440 households. Median household income in the Houghton area is $58,128, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Houghton area scores 76 for clothing and shoe stores (high), #54 of 536 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Houghton 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 Houghton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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.