Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Michigan
Clothing and shoe stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #319 of 536 scored small-town markets
#17 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 16
- 6 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,730 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,081
- −1.9% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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
Households in the Sault Ste. Marie area spend about $24.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,730 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 16 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.5M per store, 20% above 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 16 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Sault Ste. Marie area as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 38%, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 11.4 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in the Sault Ste. Marie area classed as clothing and shoe stores. That is one for every 1,408 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Sault Ste. Marie area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Sault Ste. Marie area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #319 of 536 scored small-town markets and #17 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Sault Ste. Marie 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 | Sault Ste. Marie area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 14.1 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,408 | 1,511 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −13.3% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,730 | $1,975 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $62,217 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 166 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,081−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 14,080
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,559 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $62,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,569
- Median home value
- $161,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,286
- Daytime population
- 35,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 |
| 17Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 44 | 16 | 11.4 | $1.5M | −1.9% | #319 of 536 |
Other business types in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 laundry46
- Clothing and shoe stores44
- Laundromats
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 16 clothing and shoe stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area. 6 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $24.4M a year, or $1,730 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 14,080 households in the Sault Ste. Marie area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 11.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.5M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Sault Ste. Marie area would have about 19, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,408 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Sault Ste. Marie area at 36,081 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,080 households. Median household income in the Sault Ste. Marie area is $62,217, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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 Sault Ste. Marie area scores 44 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #319 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.