Clothing and laundry · Metro area · North Carolina
Clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #48 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 885
- 450 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 421
- −12.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,231 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.4
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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
Households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area spend about $1.3B a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,231 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 14% above 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 885 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Raleigh-Cary metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 51% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.4, 5% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary metro area was 421 in 2023, down 12.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,364 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 1,038 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $6.7M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary metro area.
Population estimates show the Raleigh-Cary metro area grew 12.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is 73 (upper middle), #48 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Raleigh-Cary 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.
| Measure | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.4 | 15.4 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,364 | 1,297 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.2% | −8.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,231 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 421−12.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,800
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $113.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,038Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 885450 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,008The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $6.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 80 | 295 | 11.9 | $1.8M | +7.5% | #22 of 387 |
| 2Raleigh-Cary, NC | 73 | 885 | 15.4 | $1.4M | +12.6% | #48 of 387 |
| 3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 59 | 1,734 | 16.1 | $1.3M | +10.1% | #142 of 387 |
| 4Winston-Salem, NC | 56 | 377 | 13.4 | $1.3M | +5.3% | #167 of 387 |
| 5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 54 | 71 | 16.1 | $1.2M | +10.3% | #183 of 387 |
| 6Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 53 | 192 | 12.8 | $1.3M | +3.2% | #187 of 387 |
| 7Jacksonville, NC | 52 | 104 | 13.8 | $1.3M | +6.0% | #195 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 45 | 1,102 | 15.6 | $1.3M | +0.9% | #233 of 387 |
| 8Wilmington, NC | 44 | 364 | 18.3 | $1M | +15.9% | #238 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 43 | 507 | 16.0 | $1.1M | +4.1% | #246 of 387 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary 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 laundry72
- Clothing and shoe stores73
- Laundromats82
- Dry cleaners54
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 885 clothing and shoe stores in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 450 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 421 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 12.2% from 2019. Official counts list 1,038 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.3B a year, or $2,231 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 885 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 15.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 1,008, against 885 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,364 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 73 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #48 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 Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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.