Clothing and laundry · County · Minnesota
Clothing and shoe stores in Stearns County, MN
How Stearns County, MN 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 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,223 of 2,087 scored counties
#46 of 58 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 102
- 58 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 63
- −4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $121.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,978 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.6
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 102 clothing and shoe stores in Stearns County. 58 of them (57%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 16.6 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
At $1,978 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Stearns County spend about $121.5M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 102 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.2M per store, 6% 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.
Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Stearns County in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 975 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 104 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Stearns County.
Population estimates show Stearns County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Stearns County is 45 (lower middle), #1,223 of 2,087 scored counties and #46 of 58 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Stearns County 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.
| Measure | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.6 | 14.0 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.6M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 975 | 1,495 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.5% | −13.8% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,978 | $2,183 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66 → 63−4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 729
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 104Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10258 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 96The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Stearns County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sherburne County, MN | 94 | 21 | 5.9 | $3.9M | +6.8% | #7 of 2,087 |
| 2Carver County, MN | 93 | 26 | 6.3 | $4.2M | +6.6% | #12 of 2,087 |
| 3Scott County, MN | 91 | 37 | 6.7 | $3.8M | +5.1% | #20 of 2,087 |
| 4Isanti County, MN | 87 | 12 | 7.4 | $2.8M | +7.3% | #59 of 2,087 |
| 5Clay County, MN | 86 | 11 | 4.2 | $4.8M | +3.6% | #61 of 2,087 |
| 6Cass County, MN | 83 | 7 | 5.4 | $3.5M | +4.2% | #104 of 2,087 |
| 7Dodge County, MN | 83 | 5 | 6.2 | $3.5M | +2.3% | #105 of 2,087 |
| 8Carlton County, MN | 82 | 6 | 4.3 | $4.6M | +1.4% | #116 of 2,087 |
| 9Chisago County, MN | 82 | 21 | 9.8 | $2.3M | +4.3% | #135 of 2,087 |
| 10Pine County, MN | 81 | 6 | 4.9 | $3.8M | +5.5% | #140 of 2,087 |
| 46Stearns County, MN | 45 | 102 | 16.6 | $1.2M | +3.6% | #1,223 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Stearns 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 laundry47
- Clothing and shoe stores45
- Laundromats51
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Stearns County, MN?
Stearns County has 102 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 58 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. Official counts list 104 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $121.5M a year, or $1,978 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 102 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Stearns County has 16.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.2M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Stearns County would have about 96, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 975 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 45 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,223 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.