Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Michigan

Clothing and shoe stores in the Traverse City, MI metro area

How the Traverse City, MI metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #316 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan

Listings
146
52 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
88
−13.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$132.5M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,025 a household
Spending per listing
$907K
29% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
22.3
38% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
156,972
+2.2% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Traverse City metro 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 Traverse City metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Traverse City metro area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #316 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

As of September 2026, map listings count 146 clothing and shoe stores in the Traverse City metro area. Of those, 52 are chain locations, or 36%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 22.3 per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in the Traverse City metro area spend about $132.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,025 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $907K per store, 29% below 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Traverse City metro area was 88 in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 744 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $484K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Traverse City metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Traverse City metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Traverse City metro 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.

Clothing and shoe stores in Traverse City, MI metro area compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureTraverse City metro areaMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households22.314.116.2
Spending per listing$907K$1.4M$1.3M
Households per official establishment7441,5111,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.0%−13.3%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,025$1,975$2,055
Median household income$80,889$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3053

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
88−13.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
588
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
83Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
14652 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
104The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$484K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Traverse City metro 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 Traverse City metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
156,972+2.2% since 2020
Households
65,429
Median age
46.4
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,691 sq. mi.
People per square mile
92
Median household income
$80,889+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,351
Median home value
$324,300
Jobs located here
61,451
Daytime population
155,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Traverse City metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Traverse City metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing and shoe stores across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Michigan for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Traverse City metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Michigan

Metro areas in Michigan ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Monroe, MI79375.9$3.4M+0.7%#23 of 387
2Midland, MI773911.1$1.8M+0.3%#26 of 387
3Jackson, MI67629.9$1.9M−0.4%#77 of 387
4Battle Creek, MI65539.9$1.8M−0.6%#87 of 387
5Ann Arbor, MI6420313.5$1.7M−0.4%#98 of 387
6Bay City, MI63449.8$1.8M−1.6%#103 of 387
7Lansing-East Lansing, MI6325012.9$1.5M+1.4%#106 of 387
8Niles, MI627812.2$1.5M−1.3%#116 of 387
9Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI6064314.6$1.4M+2.8%#130 of 387
10Kalamazoo-Portage, MI5813712.8$1.5M+0.8%#145 of 387
14Traverse City, MI3014622.3$907K+2.2%#316 of 387

Other business types in the Traverse City metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Traverse City, MI metro area?

The Traverse City metro area has 146 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 52 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019. Official counts list 83 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Traverse City, MI metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $132.5M a year, or $2,025 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $907K 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 65,429 households in the Traverse City metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Traverse City, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Traverse City metro area has 22.3 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $907K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Traverse City metro area would have about 104, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 744 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Traverse City, MI metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Traverse City metro area at 156,972 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,429 households. The median household income in the Traverse City metro area is $80,889 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. The Traverse City metro area scores 30 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #316 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Traverse City metro 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 Traverse City metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Traverse City metro 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 Traverse City metro 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.