Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in Catawba County, NC

The clothing and shoe stores in Catawba County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,451 of 2,087 scored counties
#61 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
129
59 chain locations (46%)
Official establishments
56
−23.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$118.2M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,784 a household
Spending per listing
$916K
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
19.5
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
170,172
+5.8% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Catawba 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 Catawba County. 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

Households in Catawba County spend about $118.2M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,784 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 129 clothing and shoe stores, that is $916K per store, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

Catawba County has 129 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 59 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 19.5 for every 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Catawba County in 2023, down 23.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,183 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 95 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates put the population change in Catawba County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing and shoe stores, Catawba County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,451 of 2,087 scored counties and #61 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Catawba County 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 Catawba County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureCatawba CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households19.515.416.2
Spending per listing$916K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,1831,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−23.3%−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.8%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,784$1,894$2,055
Median household income$67,864$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3947

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
73 → 56−23.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
760
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
95Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12959 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
93The 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 Catawba 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 Catawba County

Population, 2025 estimate
170,172+5.8% since 2020
Households
66,227
Median age
41.7
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
401 sq. mi.
People per square mile
408
Median household income
$67,864+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,959
Median home value
$241,600
Jobs located here
91,506
Daytime population
180,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Catawba 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 Catawba County. 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 counties in North Carolina for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Catawba County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chatham County, NC94206.1$3.7M+11.0%#8 of 2,087
2Franklin County, NC84155.3$3.5M+18.8%#84 of 2,087
3Harnett County, NC84316.2$2.9M+12.3%#89 of 2,087
4Orange County, NC84457.8$2.8M+6.1%#92 of 2,087
5Union County, NC84779.1$2.5M+11.7%#95 of 2,087
6Lincoln County, NC84328.7$2.3M+13.2%#98 of 2,087
7Hoke County, NC8094.7$3.7M+9.0%#152 of 2,087
8Granville County, NC76177.6$2.4M+2.1%#215 of 2,087
9Pender County, NC76249.5$2M+19.0%#221 of 2,087
10Davie County, NC761911.0$1.7M+6.9%#224 of 2,087
61Catawba County, NC3912919.5$916K+5.8%#1,451 of 2,087

Other business types in Catawba County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Catawba County, NC?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 129 clothing and shoe stores in Catawba County. 59 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 23.3% from 2019. Official counts list 95 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Catawba County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $118.2M a year, or $1,784 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 129 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $916K 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 66,227 households in Catawba County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Catawba County has 19.5 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $916K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Catawba County would have about 93, against 129 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,183 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 23.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Catawba County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Catawba County at 170,172 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 66,227 households. Median household income in Catawba County is $67,864, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.4%, 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. Catawba County scores 39 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,451 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Catawba 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 Catawba County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Catawba 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 Catawba 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.