Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Montana

Clothing and shoe stores in the Great Falls, MT metro area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Great Falls, MT metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #249 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana

Listings
44
18 chain locations (41%)
Official establishments
23
−25.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$58.6M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,645 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.4
23% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
85,029
+0.7% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Great Falls 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 Great Falls 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

At $1,645 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in the Great Falls metro area spend about $58.6M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 5% 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 Great Falls metro area has 44 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 41%, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 12.4 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Great Falls metro area was 23 in 2023, down 25.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,548 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 45 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Great Falls metro area grew 0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Great Falls metro area is 42 (lower middle), #249 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana.

How the Great Falls metro area compares

The same measures for Montana 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 Great Falls, MT metro area compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureGreat Falls metro areaMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.414.516.2
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5481,5041,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−25.8%−4.4%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,645$1,721$2,055
Median household income$67,690$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score4246

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
23−25.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
238
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
45Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4418 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
46The 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 Great Falls 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 Great Falls metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
85,029+0.7% since 2020
Households
35,615
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,698 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$67,690+35.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,832
Median home value
$265,300
Jobs located here
35,854
Daytime population
84,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Great Falls 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 Great Falls 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 Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Montana for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Great Falls metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Montana

Metro areas in Montana ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Helena, MT80389.7$1.9M+7.7%#20 of 387
2Billings, MT4311714.9$1.2M+4.8%#241 of 387
3Great Falls, MT424412.4$1.3M+0.7%#249 of 387
4Bozeman, MT4110520.5$965K+7.7%#265 of 387
5Missoula, MT388916.2$1.1M+4.7%#279 of 387

Other business types in the Great Falls 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 Great Falls, MT metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 clothing and shoe stores in the Great Falls metro area. 18 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 25.8% from 2019. Another 45 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Great Falls, MT metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $58.6M a year, or $1,645 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 35,615 households in the Great Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Great Falls, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Great Falls metro area has 12.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.3M, 5% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Great Falls metro area would have about 46, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,548 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Great Falls, MT metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Great Falls metro area at 85,029 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,615 households. Median household income in the Great Falls metro area is $67,690, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.6%, 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 Great Falls metro area scores 42 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #249 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 Great Falls 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 Great Falls metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Great Falls 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 Great Falls 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.