Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in the Rockingham, NC area

How the Rockingham, 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 #503 of 536 scored small-town markets
#22 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina

Listings
28
13 chain locations (46%)
Official establishments
13
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$25.6M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,501 a household
Spending per listing
$913K
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.4
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
42,041
−1.6% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Rockingham 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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham area is 21 (low), #503 of 536 scored small-town markets and #22 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 28 clothing and shoe stores in the Rockingham area. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 46%, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.4, in line with the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in the Rockingham area spend about $25.6M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,501 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That is about $913K of household spending for each store on map listings, 28% 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 13 businesses with payroll in the Rockingham area classed as clothing and shoe stores. That is one for every 1,310 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Rockingham area declined 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Rockingham 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 Rockingham, NC area compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureRockingham areaNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.415.416.2
Spending per listing$913K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,3101,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,501$1,894$2,055
Median household income$44,883$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2147

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
13
Employees, 2023
131
Annual payroll, 2023
$2M
One-person businesses, 2023
19Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2813 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
20The 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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham area

Population, 2025 estimate
42,041−1.6% since 2020
Households
17,026
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
474 sq. mi.
People per square mile
89
Median household income
$44,883+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$62,303
Median home value
$127,800
Jobs located here
13,566
Daytime population
37,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Rockingham 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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham 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
22Rockingham, NC212816.4$913K−1.6%#503 of 536

Other business types in the Rockingham 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 Rockingham, NC area?

The Rockingham area has 28 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $25.6M a year, or $1,501 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $913K 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 17,026 households in the Rockingham area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Rockingham area has 16.4 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $913K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Rockingham area would have about 20, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,310 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is the Rockingham, NC area growing?

Population estimates put the Rockingham area at 42,041 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,026 households. The median household income in the Rockingham area is $44,883 a year, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.2% 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 Rockingham area scores 21 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #503 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 Rockingham 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 Rockingham area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rockingham 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 Rockingham 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.