Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Rhode Island

Clothing and shoe stores in Kent County, RI

How Kent County, RI 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 #547 of 2,087 scored counties
#2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island

Listings
101
54 chain locations (53%)
Official establishments
47
−25.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$178.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,455 a household
Spending per listing
$1.8M
39% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.9
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
173,495
+1.8% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Kent 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 Kent County. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 101 clothing and shoe stores in Kent County. 54 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That is 13.9 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

At $2,455 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $178.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 101 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.8M per store, 39% 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 Kent County was 47 in 2023, down 25.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,550 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 90 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kent County grew 1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kent County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #547 of 2,087 scored counties and #2 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.

How Kent County compares

The same measures for Rhode Island 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 Kent County, RI compared with Rhode Island and the U.S.
MeasureKent CountyRhode IslandU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.915.916.2
Spending per listing$1.8M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5501,2031,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−25.4%−7.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.8%+1.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,455$2,383$2,055
Median household income$94,345$87,796$80,734
Groundwork market score6456

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
63 → 47−25.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
897
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
90Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10154 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
141The 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 Kent 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 Kent County

Population, 2025 estimate
173,495+1.8% since 2020
Households
72,839
Median age
44.4
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
169 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,017
Median household income
$94,345+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,389
Median home value
$366,100
Jobs located here
79,114
Daytime population
158,826Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent County. 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 Rhode Island

Every Rhode Island market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Kent County marked.

Top counties in Rhode Island

Counties in Rhode Island ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Bristol County, RI672512.4$2.2M−1.5%#461 of 2,087
2Kent County, RI6410113.9$1.8M+1.8%#547 of 2,087
3Providence County, RI6037014.3$1.6M+2.8%#686 of 2,087
4Washington County, RI577714.7$1.8M0.0%#772 of 2,087
5Newport County, RI2512935.0$745K−2.9%#1,852 of 2,087

Other business types in Kent County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Kent County, RI?

Kent County has 101 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 54 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 25.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 90 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Kent County, RI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $178.8M a year, or $2,455 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 72,839 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Kent County, RI compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?

Kent County has 13.9 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.8M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Kent County would have about 141, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,550 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Kent County, RI growing?

Population estimates put Kent County at 173,495 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,839 households. The median household income in Kent County is $94,345 a year, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Kent County scores 64 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #547 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.