Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in Dare County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Dare County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,734 of 2,087 scored counties
#77 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
88
30 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments
69
+1.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$35.1M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,085 a household
Spending per listing
$399K
69% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
52.3
3.2 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,245
+3.3% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Dare 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 Dare County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For clothing and shoe stores, Dare County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,734 of 2,087 scored counties and #77 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Dare County spend about $35.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,085 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 88 clothing and shoe stores, that is $399K per store, 69% below 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 88 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Dare County as of September 2026. 30 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 52.3 for every 10,000 households, 3.2 times the U.S. rate of 16.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 69 businesses with payroll in Dare County classed as clothing and shoe stores, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 244 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates show Dare County grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Dare 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 Dare County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureDare CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households52.315.416.2
Spending per listing$399K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment2441,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.5%−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,085$1,894$2,055
Median household income$88,994$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3047

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
68 → 69+1.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
459
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
22Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8830 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 Dare 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 Dare County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,245+3.3% since 2020
Households
16,836
Median age
49.2
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
383 sq. mi.
People per square mile
99
Median household income
$88,994+49.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$129,955
Median home value
$460,400
Jobs located here
17,198
Daytime population
38,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dare 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 Dare 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 Dare 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
77Dare County, NC308852.3$399K+3.3%#1,734 of 2,087

Other business types in Dare County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 88 clothing and shoe stores in Dare County. 30 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 69 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $35.1M a year, or $2,085 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $399K 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 16,836 households in Dare County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Dare County has 52.3 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 3.2 times the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $399K, 69% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Dare County would have about 28, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 244 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Dare County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Dare County at 38,245 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,836 households. Median household income in Dare County is $88,994, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 49.9%, 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. Dare County scores 30 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,734 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dare 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 Dare 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.