Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina

Clothing and shoe stores in Rutherford County, NC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #946 of 2,087 scored counties
#41 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
32
8 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$42.4M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,591 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.0
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
65,745
+2.1% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Rutherford County comes to about $42.4M a year: $1,591 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 4% 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 32 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 25%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 12.0 per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Rutherford County in 2023. That is one for every 6,661 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rutherford County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Rutherford County is 53 (upper middle), #946 of 2,087 scored counties and #41 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Rutherford 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 Rutherford County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureRutherford CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.015.416.2
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment6,6611,2971,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−8.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.1%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,591$1,894$2,055
Median household income$51,410$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score5347

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 4
Employees, 2023
40
Annual payroll, 2023
$723K
One-person businesses, 2023
36Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
328 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
33The 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County

Population, 2025 estimate
65,745+2.1% since 2020
Households
26,642
Median age
44.8
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
565 sq. mi.
People per square mile
115
Median household income
$51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$72,230
Median home value
$201,800
Jobs located here
19,241
Daytime population
55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
41Rutherford County, NC533212.0$1.3M+2.1%#946 of 2,087

Other business types in Rutherford County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 32 clothing and shoe stores in Rutherford County. 8 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Another 36 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $42.4M a year, or $1,591 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Rutherford County has 12.0 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.3M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 33, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,661 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 53 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #946 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.