Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in the Boone, NC area

How the Boone, NC 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 21 out of 100: Low

Ranked #505 of 536 scored small-town markets
#23 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
62
26 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
47
−6.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$36.1M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,705 a household
Spending per listing
$583K
54% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
29.2
80% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
54,786
+0.6% since 2020

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

The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Boone area is 21 (low), #505 of 536 scored small-town markets and #23 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

As of September 2026, map listings count 62 clothing and shoe stores in the Boone area. 26 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That is 29.2 per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Boone area comes to about $36.1M a year: $1,705 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 62 clothing and shoe stores, that is $583K per store, 54% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 47 businesses with payroll in the Boone area classed as clothing and shoe stores, down 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 451 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Boone area grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Boone area compares

The same measures for North Carolina 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 Boone, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBoone areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households29.215.416.2
Spending per listing$583K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment4511,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.0%−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,705$1,894$2,055
Median household income$51,693$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2147

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
47−6.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
466
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
23Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6226 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
28The 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 Boone 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 Boone area

Population, 2025 estimate
54,786+0.6% since 2020
Households
21,198
Median age
35.8
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
312 sq. mi.
People per square mile
176
Median household income
$51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,665
Median home value
$358,900
Jobs located here
24,062
Daytime population
59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Boone 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 Boone 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 North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

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

Top small-town markets in North Carolina

Small-town markets in North Carolina ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Anderson Creek, NC89316.2$2.9M+12.3%#8 of 536
2Brevard, NC73106.9$2.6M+2.9%#69 of 536
3Marion, NC68168.6$1.9M+1.5%#114 of 536
4New Bern, NC685811.1$1.5M+3.6%#116 of 536
5North Wilkesboro, NC65197.0$2.2M+0.6%#136 of 536
6Albemarle, NC642911.5$1.5M+9.8%#150 of 536
7Forest City, NC613212.0$1.3M+2.1%#174 of 536
8Waynesville, NC593211.8$1.4M+1.9%#194 of 536
9Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC535012.9$1.3M+3.4%#245 of 536
10Wilson, NC494313.0$1.3M+1.7%#284 of 536
23Boone, NC216229.2$583K+0.6%#505 of 536

Other business types in the Boone 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 Boone, NC area?

The Boone area has 62 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 6.0% from 2019. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $36.1M a year, or $1,705 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $583K 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 21,198 households in the Boone area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Boone area has 29.2 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $583K, 54% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Boone area would have about 28, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 451 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Boone, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Boone area at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. The median household income in the Boone area is $51,693 a year, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 8.8% 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. 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 Boone area scores 21 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #505 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 Boone 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 Boone area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Boone 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 Boone 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.