Clothing and laundry · Metro area · New York
Clothing and shoe stores in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #178 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 65
- 41 chain locations (63%)
- Official establishments
- 33
- −21.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,023 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,540
- −3.9% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 65 clothing and shoe stores in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area. Of those, 41 are chain locations, or 63%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 13.7 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Households in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area spend about $96.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,023 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per store, 17% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 33 businesses with payroll in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 21.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 54 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area declined 3.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area is 54 (upper middle), #178 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York.
How the Watertown-Fort Drum metro 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 | Watertown-Fort Drum metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 19.3 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,443 | 1,039 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −21.4% | −16.7% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,023 | $2,448 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $66,301 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 33−21.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 363
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 54Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6541 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,540−3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 47,606
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,268 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 91
- Median household income
- $66,301+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,210
- Median home value
- $188,200
- Jobs located here
- 34,253
- Daytime population
- 112,470Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro 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 metro areas in New York for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in New York, with the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ithaca, NY | 77 | 44 | 10.2 | $2.2M | −1.4% | #25 of 387 |
| 2Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 75 | 465 | 12.1 | $2M | +1.9% | #36 of 387 |
| 3Kingston, NY | 75 | 115 | 15.5 | $1.5M | +1.1% | #40 of 387 |
| 4Utica-Rome, NY | 71 | 132 | 10.9 | $1.9M | −2.0% | #52 of 387 |
| 5Syracuse, NY | 69 | 328 | 12.1 | $1.8M | −1.3% | #62 of 387 |
| 6Binghamton, NY | 69 | 119 | 11.6 | $1.8M | −1.3% | #63 of 387 |
| 7Rochester, NY | 66 | 594 | 13.3 | $1.7M | −0.7% | #83 of 387 |
| 8Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 60 | 699 | 13.9 | $1.6M | −0.8% | #127 of 387 |
| 9Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 54 | 65 | 13.7 | $1.5M | −3.9% | #178 of 387 |
| 10Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 47 | 529 | 20.8 | $1.2M | +3.0% | #222 of 387 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro 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 laundry49
- Clothing and shoe stores54
- Laundromats36
- Dry cleaners48
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area?
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area has 65 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (63%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 21.4% from 2019. Another 54 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $96.3M a year, or $2,023 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 65 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 47,606 households in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Watertown-Fort Drum metro area has 13.7 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.5M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area would have about 76, against 65 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 21.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area at 111,540 people in 2025, down 3.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 47,606 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro area is $66,301 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area scores 54 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #178 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Drum 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 Watertown-Fort Drum 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.