Clothing and laundry · County · New Jersey
Clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #524 of 2,087 scored counties
#8 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 429
- 229 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 243
- −19.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $841.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,734 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 54% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 883,335
- +2.6% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Middlesex County comes to about $841.5M a year: $2,734 per household, 33% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per store, 54% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
Middlesex County has 429 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 229 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 13.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 243 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County in 2023, down 19.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,267 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 772 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $425K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Middlesex County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Middlesex County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #524 of 2,087 scored counties and #8 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Middlesex 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.
| Measure | Middlesex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 17.5 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1.5M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,267 | 1,042 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −19.8% | −12.9% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,734 | $2,665 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $111,549 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 303 → 243−19.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,601
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 772Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 429229 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 662The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $425K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 883,335+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 307,782
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 309 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,817
- Median household income
- $111,549+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,057
- Median home value
- $462,900
- Jobs located here
- 459,830
- Daytime population
- 901,798Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 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 Middlesex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, NJ | 91 | 31 | 6.8 | $3.6M | +3.2% | #22 of 2,087 |
| 2Sussex County, NJ | 90 | 32 | 5.5 | $5M | +2.9% | #25 of 2,087 |
| 3Salem County, NJ | 88 | 10 | 4.0 | $5.6M | +2.3% | #35 of 2,087 |
| 4Hunterdon County, NJ | 75 | 72 | 14.2 | $2.2M | +2.3% | #239 of 2,087 |
| 5Burlington County, NJ | 74 | 219 | 12.4 | $2.2M | +4.3% | #263 of 2,087 |
| 6Somerset County, NJ | 68 | 194 | 14.8 | $2.1M | +3.5% | #435 of 2,087 |
| 7Gloucester County, NJ | 68 | 146 | 13.0 | $2M | +3.3% | #439 of 2,087 |
| 8Middlesex County, NJ | 65 | 429 | 13.9 | $2M | +2.6% | #524 of 2,087 |
| 9Hudson County, NJ | 62 | 440 | 14.7 | $1.8M | +1.8% | #614 of 2,087 |
| 10Mercer County, NJ | 61 | 227 | 15.8 | $1.7M | +3.3% | #651 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Middlesex 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 laundry57
- Clothing and shoe stores65
- Laundromats50
- Dry cleaners51
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Middlesex County, NJ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 429 clothing and shoe stores in Middlesex County. 229 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 243 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 19.8% from 2019. Another 772 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Middlesex County, NJ spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $841.5M a year, or $2,734 per household. That is 33% above the U.S. average (an index of 133, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 429 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 307,782 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Middlesex County has 13.9 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2M, 54% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 662, against 429 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,267 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 883,335 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 307,782 households. Median household income in Middlesex County is $111,549, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.6%, 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. Middlesex County scores 65 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #524 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.