Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Clothing and shoe stores in Wake County, NC
How Wake County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #553 of 2,087 scored counties
#20 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 732
- 360 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 358
- −12.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,309 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Wake 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 Wake County. 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Wake County comes to about $1.1B a year: $2,309 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.5M 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 732 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. 360 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That is 15.9 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Wake County was 358 in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,285 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 845 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Wake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Wake County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Wake County is 64 (upper middle), #553 of 2,087 scored counties and #20 of 85 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wake 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.
| Measure | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.9 | 15.4 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,285 | 1,297 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.0% | −8.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,309 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 407 → 358−12.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,984
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $98.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 845Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 732360 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 836The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake County. 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 counties in North Carolina for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Wake County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 94 | 20 | 6.1 | $3.7M | +11.0% | #8 of 2,087 |
| 2Franklin County, NC | 84 | 15 | 5.3 | $3.5M | +18.8% | #84 of 2,087 |
| 3Harnett County, NC | 84 | 31 | 6.2 | $2.9M | +12.3% | #89 of 2,087 |
| 4Orange County, NC | 84 | 45 | 7.8 | $2.8M | +6.1% | #92 of 2,087 |
| 5Union County, NC | 84 | 77 | 9.1 | $2.5M | +11.7% | #95 of 2,087 |
| 6Lincoln County, NC | 84 | 32 | 8.7 | $2.3M | +13.2% | #98 of 2,087 |
| 7Hoke County, NC | 80 | 9 | 4.7 | $3.7M | +9.0% | #152 of 2,087 |
| 8Granville County, NC | 76 | 17 | 7.6 | $2.4M | +2.1% | #215 of 2,087 |
| 9Pender County, NC | 76 | 24 | 9.5 | $2M | +19.0% | #221 of 2,087 |
| 10Davie County, NC | 76 | 19 | 11.0 | $1.7M | +6.9% | #224 of 2,087 |
| 20Wake County, NC | 64 | 732 | 15.9 | $1.5M | +11.2% | #553 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Wake County
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 laundry61
- Clothing and shoe stores64
- Laundromats84
- Dry cleaners55
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Wake County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 732 clothing and shoe stores in Wake County. 360 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 358 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 845 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.1B a year, or $2,309 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 732 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Wake County has 15.9 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.5M, 14% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Wake County would have about 836, against 732 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,285 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 64 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #553 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.