Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Ohio

Clothing and shoe stores in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area

How the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #94 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
1,301
605 chain locations (47%)
Official establishments
599
−13.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.9B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,070 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
14% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.3
12% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,312,858
+2.7% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro 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

At $2,070 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Cincinnati metro area spend about $1.9B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. 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 1,301 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Cincinnati metro area as of September 2026. 605 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.3, 12% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 599 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Cincinnati metro area in 2023, down 13.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,514 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,282 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $6.8M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Cincinnati metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Cincinnati metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For clothing and shoe stores, the Cincinnati metro area has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #94 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.

How the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureCincinnati metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.312.916.2
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5141,6771,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.1%−13.4%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,070$1,954$2,055
Median household income$81,120$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6561

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
599−13.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,346
Annual payroll, 2023
$164.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,282Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,301605 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,477The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
18
Amount
$6.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
2,312,858+2.7% since 2020
Households
906,675
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,385 sq. mi.
People per square mile
518
Median household income
$81,120
Average household income
$110,407
Median home value
$258,600
Jobs located here
1,109,713
Daytime population
2,288,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro 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 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 Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,301 clothing and shoe stores in the Cincinnati metro area. 605 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 599 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 13.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,282 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $1.9B a year, or $2,070 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,301 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 906,675 households in the Cincinnati metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

The Cincinnati metro area has 14.3 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 12% 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 Cincinnati metro area would have about 1,477, against 1,301 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,514 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Cincinnati metro area at 2,312,858 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 906,675 households. Median household income in the Cincinnati metro area is $81,120, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Cincinnati metro area scores 65 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #94 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 Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati 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.