Clothing and laundry · County · Wisconsin
Clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,432 of 2,087 scored counties
#57 of 62 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 598
- 264 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 271
- −14.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $732.3M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,866 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.2
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Milwaukee County comes to about $732.3M a year: $1,866 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per store, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
Milwaukee County has 598 clothing and shoe stores on map listings as of September 2026. 264 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 44% across the U.S. That comes to 15.2 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.
Official counts show 271 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee County in 2023, down 14.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,448 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 613 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For clothing and shoe stores, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,432 of 2,087 scored counties and #57 of 62 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.2 | 12.7 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.6M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,448 | 1,839 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −14.5% | −16.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,866 | $2,003 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 317 → 271−14.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,982
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $77.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 613Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 598264 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 576The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Croix County, WI | 91 | 22 | 5.9 | $4M | +4.7% | #19 of 2,087 |
| 2Calumet County, WI | 85 | 13 | 6.1 | $3.5M | +2.9% | #72 of 2,087 |
| 3Pierce County, WI | 83 | 12 | 7.6 | $2.8M | +3.1% | #112 of 2,087 |
| 4Washington County, WI | 82 | 42 | 7.4 | $3M | +1.8% | #126 of 2,087 |
| 5Oconto County, WI | 81 | 8 | 4.8 | $4.1M | +2.9% | #138 of 2,087 |
| 6Waushara County, WI | 75 | 5 | 4.7 | $3.9M | +2.8% | #226 of 2,087 |
| 7Adams County, WI | 75 | 5 | 5.3 | $3.3M | +5.2% | #229 of 2,087 |
| 8Manitowoc County, WI | 75 | 21 | 6.0 | $3.1M | +0.4% | #230 of 2,087 |
| 9Grant County, WI | 75 | 13 | 6.5 | $2.8M | +0.9% | #231 of 2,087 |
| 10Polk County, WI | 75 | 18 | 9.2 | $2.1M | +1.7% | #241 of 2,087 |
| 57Milwaukee County, WI | 39 | 598 | 15.2 | $1.2M | −1.5% | #1,432 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Milwaukee 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 laundry36
- Clothing and shoe stores39
- Laundromats27
- Dry cleaners48
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Milwaukee County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 598 clothing and shoe stores in Milwaukee County. 264 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 271 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 14.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 613 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $732.3M a year, or $1,866 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 598 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Milwaukee County has 15.2 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.2M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 576, against 598 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,448 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.5% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 39 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,432 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.