Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Wisconsin

Clothing and shoe stores in Polk County, WI

How Polk County, WI 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 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #241 of 2,087 scored counties
#10 of 62 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
18
5 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$38.1M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,949 a household
Spending per listing
$2.1M
67% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.2
43% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
45,803
+1.7% since 2020

See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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

At $1,949 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $38.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 67% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.

There are 18 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 28%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 9.2 per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 16.2.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Polk County in 2023. That is one for every 6,514 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Official counts list 33 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores in Polk County is 75 (high), #241 of 2,087 scored counties and #10 of 62 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Polk 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.

Clothing and shoe stores in Polk County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasurePolk CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.212.716.2
Spending per listing$2.1M$1.6M$1.3M
Households per official establishment6,5141,8391,273
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−16.1%−12.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,949$2,003$2,055
Median household income$77,219$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score7572

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
17
Annual payroll, 2023
$281K
One-person businesses, 2023
33Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
185 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
30The 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 Polk 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 Polk County

Population, 2025 estimate
45,803+1.7% since 2020
Households
19,542
Median age
46.5
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
914 sq. mi.
People per square mile
50
Median household income
$77,219+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,913
Median home value
$271,900
Jobs located here
16,552
Daytime population
37,385Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin market ranked →

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

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for clothing and shoe stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1St. Croix County, WI91225.9$4M+4.7%#19 of 2,087
2Calumet County, WI85136.1$3.5M+2.9%#72 of 2,087
3Pierce County, WI83127.6$2.8M+3.1%#112 of 2,087
4Washington County, WI82427.4$3M+1.8%#126 of 2,087
5Oconto County, WI8184.8$4.1M+2.9%#138 of 2,087
6Waushara County, WI7554.7$3.9M+2.8%#226 of 2,087
7Adams County, WI7555.3$3.3M+5.2%#229 of 2,087
8Manitowoc County, WI75216.0$3.1M+0.4%#230 of 2,087
9Grant County, WI75136.5$2.8M+0.9%#231 of 2,087
10Polk County, WI75189.2$2.1M+1.7%#241 of 2,087

Other business types in Polk County

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

Questions

How many clothing and shoe stores are in Polk County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 18 clothing and shoe stores in Polk County. 5 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023. Official counts also show 33 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Polk County, WI spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $38.1M a year, or $1,949 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 19,542 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Polk County has 9.2 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $2.1M, 67% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Polk County would have about 30, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,514 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S.

How fast is Polk County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Polk County at 45,803 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,542 households. Median household income in Polk County is $77,219, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.7%, 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. Polk County scores 75 for clothing and shoe stores (high), #241 of 2,087 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.