Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · New Jersey

Clothing and shoe stores in Mercer County, NJ

How Mercer County, NJ 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #651 of 2,087 scored counties
#10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
227
130 chain locations (57%)
Official establishments
130
−15.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$380.1M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,638 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
32% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.8
2% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
399,289
+3.3% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer County. 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

Households in Mercer County spend about $380.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,638 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.7M per store, 32% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

There are 227 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 130 of them (57%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.8, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 130 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Mercer County in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,109 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 283 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $467K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Mercer County.

Population estimates show Mercer County grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing and shoe stores, Mercer County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #651 of 2,087 scored counties and #10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.

How Mercer County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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 Mercer County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.817.516.2
Spending per listing$1.7M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,1091,0421,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−15.0%−12.9%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,638$2,665$2,055
Median household income$100,645$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score6159

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
153 → 130−15.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,015
Annual payroll, 2023
$41.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
283Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
227130 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
299The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$467K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
399,289+3.3% since 2020
Households
144,114
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
225 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,719
Median household income
$100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$142,372
Median home value
$377,700
Jobs located here
262,034
Daytime population
469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing and shoe stores across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Mercer County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, NJ91316.8$3.6M+3.2%#22 of 2,087
2Sussex County, NJ90325.5$5M+2.9%#25 of 2,087
3Salem County, NJ88104.0$5.6M+2.3%#35 of 2,087
4Hunterdon County, NJ757214.2$2.2M+2.3%#239 of 2,087
5Burlington County, NJ7421912.4$2.2M+4.3%#263 of 2,087
6Somerset County, NJ6819414.8$2.1M+3.5%#435 of 2,087
7Gloucester County, NJ6814613.0$2M+3.3%#439 of 2,087
8Middlesex County, NJ6542913.9$2M+2.6%#524 of 2,087
9Hudson County, NJ6244014.7$1.8M+1.8%#614 of 2,087
10Mercer County, NJ6122715.8$1.7M+3.3%#651 of 2,087

Other business types in Mercer County

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

Clothing and laundry

Funeral services

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Mercer County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 227 clothing and shoe stores in Mercer County. 130 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 130 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019. Official counts list 283 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $380.1M a year, or $2,638 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 227 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

Mercer County has 15.8 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.7M, 32% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Mercer County would have about 299, against 227 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,109 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 61 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #651 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.