Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Washington

Clothing and shoe stores in King County, WA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in King County, WA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #440 of 2,087 scored counties
#13 of 29 scored counties in Washington

Listings
1,187
550 chain locations (46%)
Official establishments
601
−19.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,357 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
47% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.6
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,344,939
+3.1% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in King 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 King County. 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 $2,357 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in King County spend about $2.2B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 1,187 clothing and shoe stores, that is $1.9M per store, 47% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

King County has 1,187 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.6, 22% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in King County was 601 in 2023, down 19.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,566 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,243 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $9.9M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in King County.

Population estimates put the population change in King County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in King County is 68 (upper middle), #440 of 2,087 scored counties and #13 of 29 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How King County compares

The same measures for Washington 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 King County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureKing CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.610.816.2
Spending per listing$1.9M$1.9M$1.3M
Households per official establishment1,5661,8571,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−19.2%−15.8%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.1%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,357$2,048$2,055
Median household income$124,746$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score6887

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
744 → 601−19.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
10,466
Annual payroll, 2023
$300M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,243Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,187550 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,745The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
23
Amount
$9.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in King 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 King County

Population, 2025 estimate
2,344,939+3.1% since 2020
Households
941,054
Median age
38.8
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
2,116 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,081
Median household income
$124,746+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$176,807
Median home value
$859,900
Jobs located here
1,503,962
Daytime population
2,645,877Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in King 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 King County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing and shoe stores across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

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

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Mason County, WA8351.9$9.4M+7.8%#100 of 2,087
2Clark County, WA821387.0$2.8M+5.3%#127 of 2,087
3Kittitas County, WA77126.0$3M+4.2%#190 of 2,087
4Stevens County, WA72115.7$2.9M+6.6%#312 of 2,087
5Kitsap County, WA72938.6$2.4M+2.7%#321 of 2,087
6Island County, WA71174.7$4M−1.5%#335 of 2,087
7Pierce County, WA713028.6$2.3M+2.5%#347 of 2,087
8Franklin County, WA703612.0$1.5M+5.6%#388 of 2,087
9Snohomish County, WA6935611.3$1.9M+4.9%#409 of 2,087
10Whitman County, WA68105.3$3M+1.5%#420 of 2,087
13King County, WA681,18712.6$1.9M+3.1%#440 of 2,087

Other business types in King County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in King County, WA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,187 clothing and shoe stores in King County. 550 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 601 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 19.2% from 2019. Another 1,243 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in King County, WA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $2.2B a year, or $2,357 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,187 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.9M 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 941,054 households in King County and national spending patterns by income.

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

King County has 12.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.9M, 47% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, King County would have about 1,745, against 1,187 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,566 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.

How fast is King County, WA growing?

Population estimates put King County at 2,344,939 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 941,054 households. Median household income in King County is $124,746, 55% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. King County scores 68 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #440 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in King 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 King 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.