Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Nebraska

Clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus, NE area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus, NE area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #316 of 536 scored small-town markets
#4 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska

Listings
36
18 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
19
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$32.9M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,895 a household
Spending per listing
$914K
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.7
28% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
46,583
+3.8% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 36 clothing and shoe stores in the Columbus area. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 20.7 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

At $1,895 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $32.9M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 36 clothing and shoe stores, that is $914K per store, 28% 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 Columbus area was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 914 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 26 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing and shoe stores, the Columbus area has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #316 of 536 scored small-town markets and #4 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.

How the Columbus area compares

The same measures for Nebraska 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 Columbus, NE area compared with Nebraska and the U.S.
MeasureColumbus areaNebraskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.715.916.2
Spending per listing$914K$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment9141,3211,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−9.7%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.8%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,895$1,999$2,055
Median household income$75,378$76,475$80,734
Groundwork market score4549

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19
Employees, 2023
120
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
26Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3618 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
26The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area

Population, 2025 estimate
46,583+3.8% since 2020
Households
17,365
Median age
37.2
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,087 sq. mi.
People per square mile
42
Median household income
$75,378
Average household income
$93,046
Median home value
$210,600
Jobs located here
25,969
Daytime population
46,840Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Nebraska

Every Nebraska market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Columbus area marked.

Top small-town markets in Nebraska

Small-town markets in Nebraska ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hastings, NE712011.7$1.6M−0.2%#95 of 536
2Lexington, NE621414.0$1.3M+1.1%#165 of 536
3Fremont, NE533019.8$946K+2.6%#247 of 536
4Columbus, NE453620.7$914K+3.8%#316 of 536
5Kearney, NE434620.2$965K+1.9%#334 of 536
6Scottsbluff, NE403120.2$884K−1.2%#360 of 536
7Norfolk, NE374522.9$809K+1.1%#386 of 536
8Beatrice, NE362122.5$811K+0.2%#396 of 536
9North Platte, NE233623.7$760K−3.6%#487 of 536

Other business types in the Columbus 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 Columbus, NE area?

There are 36 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. 18 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Another 26 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $32.9M a year, or $1,895 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 36 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $914K 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 17,365 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Columbus, NE area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Columbus area has 20.7 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $914K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 26, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 914 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is the Columbus, NE area growing?

Population estimates put the Columbus area at 46,583 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,365 households. The median household income in the Columbus area is $75,378 a year, 7% 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. 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 Columbus area scores 45 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #316 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 Columbus 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 Columbus area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.