Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · New York
Clothing and shoe stores in the Cortland, NY area
How the Cortland, NY area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #67 of 536 scored small-town markets
#7 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York
- Listings
- 19
- 6 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $39M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,053 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 62% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Cortland 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 Cortland area. 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 the Cortland area comes to about $39M a year: $2,053 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $2.1M per store, 62% 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 19 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Cortland area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 10.0 per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Cortland area in 2023. That is one for every 4,750 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Cortland area declined 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Cortland area scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #67 of 536 scored small-town markets and #7 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Cortland area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Cortland area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 19.3 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,750 | 1,039 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −16.7% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,053 | $2,448 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 110
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 196 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 Cortland 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 Cortland area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cortland 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 Cortland area. 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in New York for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in New York, with the Cortland area marked.
Top small-town markets in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monticello, NY | 93 | 20 | 6.4 | $3.5M | +2.7% | #4 of 536 |
| 2Amsterdam, NY | 87 | 12 | 6.1 | $3.3M | +1.1% | #9 of 536 |
| 3Oneonta, NY | 82 | 26 | 11.2 | $1.8M | +3.8% | #21 of 536 |
| 4Batavia, NY | 77 | 19 | 7.6 | $2.7M | +0.2% | #40 of 536 |
| 5Auburn, NY | 76 | 26 | 8.2 | $2.5M | −2.3% | #52 of 536 |
| 6Corning, NY | 75 | 32 | 8.2 | $2.5M | −1.6% | #59 of 536 |
| 7Cortland, NY | 74 | 19 | 10.0 | $2.1M | −1.9% | #67 of 536 |
| 8Massena-Ogdensburg, NY | 73 | 38 | 9.1 | $2.2M | −2.5% | #73 of 536 |
| 9Gloversville, NY | 72 | 23 | 10.1 | $2M | −1.6% | #85 of 536 |
| 10Olean, NY | 68 | 31 | 9.7 | $2M | −2.1% | #112 of 536 |
Other business types in the Cortland area
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 laundry72
- Clothing and shoe stores74
- Laundromats54
- Dry cleaners
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Cortland, NY area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 clothing and shoe stores in the Cortland area. 6 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cortland, NY area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $39M a year, or $2,053 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 18,999 households in the Cortland area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cortland, NY area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Cortland area has 10.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2.1M, 62% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Cortland area would have about 31, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,750 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.
How fast is the Cortland, NY area growing?
Population estimates put the Cortland area at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in the Cortland area is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. 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 Cortland area scores 74 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #67 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 Cortland 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 Cortland area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cortland 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 Cortland 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.