Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Minnesota

Clothing and shoe stores in the Duluth, MN-WI metro area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Duluth, MN-WI metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #157 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Minnesota

Listings
158
77 chain locations (49%)
Official establishments
76
−12.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$230.4M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,914 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.1
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
281,219
+0.2% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Duluth 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 Duluth 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 158 clothing and shoe stores in the Duluth metro area. 77 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 19% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in the Duluth metro area spend about $230.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,914 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 158 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.5M per store, 15% above 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 Duluth metro area was 76 in 2023, down 12.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 138 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $789K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Duluth metro area.

Population estimates show the Duluth metro area grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Duluth metro area scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #157 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Minnesota.

How the Duluth metro area compares

The same measures for Minnesota 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 Duluth, MN-WI metro area compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureDuluth metro areaMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.114.016.2
Spending per listing$1.5M$1.6M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5841,4951,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−12.2%−13.8%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.2%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,914$2,183$2,055
Median household income$71,769$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score5767

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
76−12.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
780
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
138Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15877 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
181The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$789K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
281,219+0.2% since 2020
Households
120,365
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
8,414 sq. mi.
People per square mile
33
Median household income
$71,769
Average household income
$93,302
Median home value
$222,400
Jobs located here
128,505
Daytime population
284,674Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Duluth 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 Duluth 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 Minnesota

Every Minnesota market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Minnesota for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Duluth metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Minnesota

Metro areas in Minnesota ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI722,06214.0$1.7M+2.6%#50 of 387
2Rochester, MN6313114.1$1.6M+2.0%#105 of 387
Fargo, ND-MN6316615.0$1.3M+7.7%#114 of 387
3Duluth, MN-WI5715813.1$1.5M+0.2%#157 of 387
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN5710414.4$1.3M+0.4%#160 of 387
4St. Cloud, MN5311414.6$1.3M+3.0%#186 of 387
Grand Forks, ND-MN506715.3$1.2M+0.8%#206 of 387
Sioux Falls, SD-MN5022318.2$1.1M+9.5%#208 of 387
5Mankato, MN308821.7$908K+1.2%#315 of 387

Other business types in the Duluth 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 Duluth, MN-WI metro area?

The Duluth metro area has 158 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 77 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 12.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 138 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Duluth, MN-WI metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $230.4M a year, or $1,914 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 120,365 households in the Duluth metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Duluth, MN-WI metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Duluth metro area has 13.1 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.5M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Duluth metro area would have about 181, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,584 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Duluth, MN-WI metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Duluth metro area at 281,219 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 120,365 households. The median household income in the Duluth metro area is $71,769 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Duluth metro area scores 57 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #157 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 Duluth 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 Duluth metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Duluth 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 Duluth 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.