Clothing and laundry · County · Washington
Clothing and shoe stores in Whatcom County, WA
How Whatcom County, WA 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 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #870 of 2,087 scored counties
#22 of 29 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 127
- 46 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- −27.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $172.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,833 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.5
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
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
Households in Whatcom County spend about $172.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,833 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
Whatcom County has 127 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.5, 17% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Whatcom County in 2023, down 27.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,880 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 129 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $115K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Whatcom County.
Population estimates show Whatcom County grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Whatcom County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #870 of 2,087 scored counties and #22 of 29 scored counties in Washington.
How Whatcom 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.
| Measure | Whatcom County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.5 | 10.8 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.9M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,880 | 1,857 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −27.5% | −15.8% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,833 | $2,048 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 87 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 69 → 50−27.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 702
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 129Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12746 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 136The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $115K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing 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 Whatcom County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mason County, WA | 83 | 5 | 1.9 | $9.4M | +7.8% | #100 of 2,087 |
| 2Clark County, WA | 82 | 138 | 7.0 | $2.8M | +5.3% | #127 of 2,087 |
| 3Kittitas County, WA | 77 | 12 | 6.0 | $3M | +4.2% | #190 of 2,087 |
| 4Stevens County, WA | 72 | 11 | 5.7 | $2.9M | +6.6% | #312 of 2,087 |
| 5Kitsap County, WA | 72 | 93 | 8.6 | $2.4M | +2.7% | #321 of 2,087 |
| 6Island County, WA | 71 | 17 | 4.7 | $4M | −1.5% | #335 of 2,087 |
| 7Pierce County, WA | 71 | 302 | 8.6 | $2.3M | +2.5% | #347 of 2,087 |
| 8Franklin County, WA | 70 | 36 | 12.0 | $1.5M | +5.6% | #388 of 2,087 |
| 9Snohomish County, WA | 69 | 356 | 11.3 | $1.9M | +4.9% | #409 of 2,087 |
| 10Whitman County, WA | 68 | 10 | 5.3 | $3M | +1.5% | #420 of 2,087 |
| 22Whatcom County, WA | 55 | 127 | 13.5 | $1.4M | +3.9% | #870 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Whatcom County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry53
- Clothing and shoe stores55
- Laundromats66
- Dry cleaners73
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Whatcom County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 127 clothing and shoe stores in Whatcom County. 46 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 27.5% from 2019. Official counts list 129 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whatcom County, WA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $172.4M a year, or $1,833 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 127 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 94,021 households in Whatcom County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whatcom County, WA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Whatcom County has 13.5 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.4M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Whatcom County would have about 136, against 127 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,880 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 27.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Whatcom County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whatcom County at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in Whatcom County is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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. Whatcom County scores 55 for clothing and shoe stores (upper middle), #870 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whatcom 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 Whatcom 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.