Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in the Burlington, NC metro area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Burlington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #333 of 387 scored metro areas
#15 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina

Listings
163
99 chain locations (61%)
Official establishments
87
−10.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$122.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,753 a household
Spending per listing
$754K
41% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
23.3
44% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
186,177
+8.5% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Burlington 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 Burlington metro 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 Burlington metro area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #333 of 387 scored metro areas and #15 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

At $1,753 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in the Burlington metro area spend about $122.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $754K of household spending for each store on map listings, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

The Burlington metro area has 163 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 61% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 23.3 for every 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Burlington metro area was 87 in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. That is one for every 805 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Burlington metro area grew 8.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Burlington metro 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 Burlington, NC metro area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBurlington metro areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households23.315.416.2
Spending per listing$754K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment8051,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−10.3%−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+8.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,753$1,894$2,055
Median household income$65,651$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2747

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
87−10.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,254
Annual payroll, 2023
$22M
One-person businesses, 2023
92Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
16399 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
97The 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 Burlington 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 Burlington metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
186,177+8.5% since 2020
Households
70,062
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
424 sq. mi.
People per square mile
418
Median household income
$65,651+32.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,032
Median home value
$241,500
Jobs located here
69,257
Daytime population
166,616Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Burlington 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 Burlington metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Burlington metro area marked.

Top metro areas in North Carolina

Metro areas in North Carolina ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC8029511.9$1.8M+7.5%#22 of 387
2Raleigh-Cary, NC7388515.4$1.4M+12.6%#48 of 387
3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC591,73416.1$1.3M+10.1%#142 of 387
4Winston-Salem, NC5637713.4$1.3M+5.3%#167 of 387
5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC547116.1$1.2M+10.3%#183 of 387
6Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC5319212.8$1.3M+3.2%#187 of 387
7Jacksonville, NC5210413.8$1.3M+6.0%#195 of 387
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC451,10215.6$1.3M+0.9%#233 of 387
8Wilmington, NC4436418.3$1M+15.9%#238 of 387
9Greensboro-High Point, NC4350716.0$1.1M+4.1%#246 of 387
15Burlington, NC2716323.3$754K+8.5%#333 of 387

Other business types in the Burlington metro 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 Burlington, NC metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 163 clothing and shoe stores in the Burlington metro area. 99 of them (61%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 10.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 92 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $122.8M a year, or $1,753 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 163 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $754K 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 70,062 households in the Burlington metro area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Burlington metro area has 23.3 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $754K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Burlington metro area would have about 97, against 163 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 805 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Burlington, NC metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Burlington metro area at 186,177 people in 2025, up 8.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,062 households. Median household income in the Burlington metro area is $65,651, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.1%, 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 Burlington metro area scores 27 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #333 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 Burlington 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 Burlington metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Burlington 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 Burlington 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.