Market rankings · Rhode Island
Clothing and shoe stores in Rhode Island
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Rhode Island, ranked by the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 702
- 296 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 367
- −7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On clothing, shoes and related services
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.9
- 2% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #19 of 51
- Market score 56 · Upper middle
A site report maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings around any address in Rhode Island by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Rhode Island has 702 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.9, 2% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
At $2,383 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Rhode Island spend about $1.1B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each store on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
Official counts show 367 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Rhode Island in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,203 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count fell 12.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Rhode Island.
Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #19 for clothing and shoe stores, with a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 68. Among 5 scored counties, Bristol County scores highest (67).
Every market in Rhode Island for clothing and shoe stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 68 | 1,015 | 15.0 | $1.6M | +2.1% | #71 of 387 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bristol County, RI | 67 | 25 | 12.4 | $2.2M | −1.5% | #461 of 2,087 |
| 2Kent County, RI | 64 | 101 | 13.9 | $1.8M | +1.8% | #547 of 2,087 |
| 3Providence County, RI | 60 | 370 | 14.3 | $1.6M | +2.8% | #686 of 2,087 |
| 4Washington County, RI | 57 | 77 | 14.7 | $1.8M | 0.0% | #772 of 2,087 |
| 5Newport County, RI | 25 | 129 | 35.0 | $745K | −2.9% | #1,852 of 2,087 |
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Rhode Island?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 702 clothing and shoe stores in Rhode Island. 296 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 367 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 588 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rhode Island spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.1B a year, or $2,383 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 702 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 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Rhode Island 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, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 828, against 702 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,203 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for clothing and shoe stores?
The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 68 (upper middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Bristol County scores highest, at 67 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Rhode Island scores 56 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #19 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhode Island. 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.
Clothing and shoe stores in other states
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Top markets for clothing and shoe stores across the U.S. · All business types in Rhode Island
Related business types in Rhode Island
- Clothing, shoes and laundry1,167 listings
- Laundromats121 listings
- Dry cleaners84 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rhode Island?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.