Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Ohio

Clothing and shoe stores in the Akron, OH metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in the Akron, OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #165 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
408
213 chain locations (52%)
Official establishments
194
−14.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$582.3M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,964 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
12% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.8
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
701,780
0.0% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Akron 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 Akron metro area. 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

At $1,964 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Akron metro area spend about $582.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

The Akron metro area has 408 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 213 of them (52%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.8, 15% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 194 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Akron metro area in 2023, down 14.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,528 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 430 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Akron metro area.

Population estimates show the Akron metro area held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in the Akron metro area is 56 (upper middle), #165 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio.

How the Akron metro area compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Akron, OH metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureAkron metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.812.916.2
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5281,6771,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−14.2%−13.4%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,964$1,954$2,055
Median household income$72,371$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score5661

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
194−14.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,454
Annual payroll, 2023
$42.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
430Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
408213 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
458The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Akron 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 Akron metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
701,7800.0% since 2020
Households
296,516
Median age
42.2
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
900 sq. mi.
People per square mile
777
Median household income
$72,371+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$98,647
Median home value
$213,000
Jobs located here
325,441
Daytime population
698,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Akron 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 Akron metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Clothing and shoe stores across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Akron metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Columbus, OH761,15013.3$1.6M+4.7%#32 of 387
2Springfield, OH68498.8$2M−0.4%#69 of 387
3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH6642912.5$1.6M+1.5%#85 of 387
4Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN651,30114.3$1.4M+2.7%#94 of 387
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH61418.3$2M−3.6%#121 of 387
5Cleveland, OH581,22613.2$1.5M−0.8%#146 of 387
6Canton-Massillon, OH5720312.1$1.5M−0.2%#155 of 387
7Akron, OH5640813.8$1.4M0.0%#165 of 387
Wheeling, WV-OH526310.9$1.6M−3.6%#190 of 387
8Toledo, OH4934513.6$1.4M−1.0%#210 of 387

Other business types in the Akron metro 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 Akron, OH metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 408 clothing and shoe stores in the Akron metro area. 213 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 194 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 14.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 430 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Akron, OH metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $582.3M a year, or $1,964 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 408 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 296,516 households in the Akron metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Akron, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Akron metro area has 13.8 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Akron metro area would have about 458, against 408 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,528 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Akron, OH metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Akron metro area at 701,780 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 296,516 households. Median household income in the Akron metro area is $72,371, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.3%, 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 Akron metro area scores 56 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #165 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 Akron 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 Akron metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Akron 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 Akron 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.