Clothing and laundry · County · California
Dry cleaners in Kern County, CA
How Kern County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for dry cleaners: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #298 of 507 scored counties
#16 of 29 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 34
- 8 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- −26.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $485.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,704 a household
- Spending per listing
- $14.3M
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Kern County
The site report maps the dry cleaners 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 Kern 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 34 dry cleaners in Kern County. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 24%, against 23% across the U.S. That is 1.2 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Households in Kern County spend about $485.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $1,704 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $14.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which dry cleaners share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Kern County in 2023, down 26.1% from 2019. That is one for every 16,761 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kern County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #298 of 507 scored counties and #16 of 29 scored counties in California.
How Kern County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the dry cleaners 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $14.3M | $12.8M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 16,761 | 6,730 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −26.1% | −18.4% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,704 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 17−26.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 92
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 348 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 dry cleaning and laundry services in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 dry cleaners on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDry cleaners across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Joaquin County, CA | 71 | 19 | 0.8 | $25.1M | +5.5% | #55 of 507 |
| 2Yolo County, CA | 65 | 5 | 0.7 | $30.5M | +3.1% | #99 of 507 |
| 3Fresno County, CA | 62 | 19 | 0.6 | $30.1M | +2.6% | #134 of 507 |
| 4Tulare County, CA | 60 | 10 | 0.7 | $24.3M | +2.4% | #159 of 507 |
| 5El Dorado County, CA | 60 | 7 | 0.9 | $23.7M | +0.6% | #160 of 507 |
| 6Placer County, CA | 60 | 20 | 1.3 | $17.7M | +8.9% | #168 of 507 |
| 7San Luis Obispo County, CA | 56 | 11 | 1.0 | $20.1M | 0.0% | #205 of 507 |
| 8Sonoma County, CA | 55 | 19 | 1.0 | $21.4M | −0.4% | #213 of 507 |
| 9Butte County, CA | 53 | 5 | 0.6 | $28.8M | −0.5% | #228 of 507 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, CA | 52 | 10 | 1.0 | $21.5M | −4.7% | #238 of 507 |
| 16Kern County, CA | 46 | 34 | 1.2 | $14.3M | +2.3% | #298 of 507 |
Other business types in Kern 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 laundry43
- Clothing and shoe stores46
- Laundromats52
- Dry cleaners46
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Kern County, CA?
Kern County has 34 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 26.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $485.4M a year, or $1,704 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $14.3M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
Kern County has 1.2 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $14.3M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Kern County would have about 31, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 16,761 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 26.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 46 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #298 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern County. It maps the dry cleaners 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 dry cleaners · All 56 business types in Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.