Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Massachusetts

Dry cleaners in Middlesex County, MA

The dry cleaners in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #366 of 507 scored counties
#8 of 10 scored counties in Massachusetts

Listings
163
38 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
149
−19.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.9B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $3,005 a household
Spending per listing
$11.7M
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
2.6
Twice the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,669,979
+2.8% since 2020

See the dry cleaners around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 163 dry cleaners in Middlesex County. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 23%, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.6, twice the U.S. rate of 1.3.

Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Middlesex County comes to about $1.9B a year: $3,005 per household, 46% above the U.S. average. That works out to $11.7M per shop, 25% 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 149 businesses with payroll in Middlesex County classed as dry cleaning and laundry services, down 19.0% from 2019. That is one for every 4,256 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $710K have gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Middlesex County.

Population estimates put the population change in Middlesex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For dry cleaners, Middlesex County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #366 of 507 scored counties and #8 of 10 scored counties in Massachusetts.

How Middlesex County compares

The same measures for Massachusetts 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.

Dry cleaners in Middlesex County, MA compared with Massachusetts and the U.S.
MeasureMiddlesex CountyMassachusettsU.S.
Listings per 10k households2.62.01.3
Spending per listing$11.7M$13.5M$15.7M
Households per official establishment4,2565,5818,177
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−19.0%−18.1%−18.7%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.8%+2.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$3,005$2,675$2,055
Median household income$130,847$103,960$80,734
Groundwork market score3936

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
184 → 149−19.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
675
Annual payroll, 2023
$22.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
16338 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
122The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$710K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
Households
634,215
Median age
40.3
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
818 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,003
Median household income
$130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$178,065
Median home value
$727,800
Jobs located here
949,767
Daytime population
1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Dry cleaners across Massachusetts

Every Massachusetts market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Middlesex County marked.

Top counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts ranked for dry cleaners by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hampshire County, MA8250.8$29.8M+10.4%#12 of 507
2Worcester County, MA72351.0$24.2M+3.7%#52 of 507
3Barnstable County, MA68100.9$27M+2.4%#80 of 507
4Hampden County, MA61191.0$21M+0.2%#148 of 507
5Bristol County, MA57351.5$15.9M+2.9%#199 of 507
6Plymouth County, MA50462.3$12.2M+3.5%#266 of 507
7Essex County, MA42642.0$12.9M+2.3%#337 of 507
8Middlesex County, MA391632.6$11.7M+2.8%#366 of 507
9Norfolk County, MA33832.9$10.3M+2.2%#415 of 507
10Suffolk County, MA29832.5$10.2M+0.1%#443 of 507

Other business types in Middlesex County

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

Questions

How many dry cleaners are in Middlesex County, MA?

Middlesex County has 163 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. 38 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 149 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 19.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $1.9B a year, or $3,005 per household. That is 46% above the U.S. average (an index of 146, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 163 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $11.7M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?

Middlesex County has 2.6 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, twice the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $11.7M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 122, against 163 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,256 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.

How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?

Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 39 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #366 of 507 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.