Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Pennsylvania

Clothing and shoe stores in the Erie, PA metro area

The clothing and shoe stores in the Erie, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #136 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania

Listings
146
79 chain locations (54%)
Official establishments
71
−22.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$224.3M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,028 a household
Spending per listing
$1.5M
21% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.2
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
265,832
−1.8% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 146 clothing and shoe stores in the Erie metro area. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 54%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 13.2 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Households in the Erie metro area spend about $224.3M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,028 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 146 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.5M per store, 21% above 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in the Erie metro area was 71 in 2023, down 22.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,558 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 116 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show the Erie metro area declined 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Erie metro area scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #136 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.

How the Erie metro area compares

The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 Erie, PA metro area compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureErie metro areaPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.213.716.2
Spending per listing$1.5M$1.7M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5581,5661,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−22.0%−18.3%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.8%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,028$2,270$2,055
Median household income$63,354$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score5972

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
71−22.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
998
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
116Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
14679 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
177The 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 Erie 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 Erie metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
265,832−1.8% since 2020
Households
110,587
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
799 sq. mi.
People per square mile
337
Median household income
$63,354+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,573
Median home value
$177,000
Jobs located here
120,819
Daytime population
270,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Erie 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 Erie 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 Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Erie metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Pennsylvania

Metro areas in Pennsylvania ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lebanon, PA87254.4$5M+2.2%#8 of 387
2Chambersburg, PA87528.2$2.6M+3.0%#9 of 387
3York-Hanover, PA871809.9$2.3M+3.6%#10 of 387
4Reading, PA851619.9$2.3M+2.7%#12 of 387
5Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ8336310.7$2.2M+3.0%#14 of 387
6Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA7432913.4$1.7M+4.2%#42 of 387
7State College, PA737412.5$1.8M−0.4%#45 of 387
8Gettysburg, PA715714.0$1.6M+3.6%#55 of 387
9Pittsburgh, PA651,44013.6$1.6M−1.3%#88 of 387
10Johnstown, PA646311.3$1.7M−3.2%#97 of 387
14Erie, PA5914613.2$1.5M−1.8%#136 of 387

Other business types in the Erie 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 Erie, PA metro area?

There are 146 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in the Erie metro area as of September 2026. 79 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 22.0% from 2019. Another 116 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $224.3M a year, or $2,028 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 110,587 households in the Erie metro area and national spending patterns by income.

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

The Erie metro area has 13.2 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.5M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, the Erie metro area would have about 177, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,558 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 22.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Erie, PA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Erie metro area at 265,832 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 110,587 households. The median household income in the Erie metro area is $63,354 a year, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. 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 Erie metro area scores 59 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #136 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 Erie 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 Erie metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Erie 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 Erie 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.