Clothing and laundry · County · New Jersey
Dry cleaners in Essex County, NJ
How Essex County, NJ 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 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #306 of 507 scored counties
#15 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 56
- 7 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 82
- −8.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $783.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,451 a household
- Spending per listing
- $14M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.8
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 56 dry cleaners in Essex County. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 1.8 per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Essex County comes to about $783.8M a year: $2,451 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. Spread across 56 dry cleaners, that is $14M per shop, 11% 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 82 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as dry cleaning and laundry services, down 8.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,900 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #306 of 507 scored counties and #15 of 20 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $14M | $14.1M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,900 | 4,252 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.9% | −18.1% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,451 | $2,665 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 90 → 82−8.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 330
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 567 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, NJ | 69 | 6 | 1.3 | $18.7M | +3.2% | #79 of 507 |
| 2Ocean County, NJ | 64 | 27 | 1.1 | $21.9M | +5.6% | #117 of 507 |
| 3Atlantic County, NJ | 61 | 9 | 0.8 | $27.5M | +1.6% | #144 of 507 |
| 4Gloucester County, NJ | 61 | 15 | 1.3 | $19.6M | +3.3% | #150 of 507 |
| 5Burlington County, NJ | 60 | 24 | 1.4 | $19.8M | +4.3% | #163 of 507 |
| 6Cape May County, NJ | 59 | 5 | 1.1 | $22M | −1.7% | #172 of 507 |
| 7Cumberland County, NJ | 57 | 5 | 0.9 | $22.4M | +2.2% | #190 of 507 |
| 8Hunterdon County, NJ | 57 | 8 | 1.6 | $19.8M | +2.3% | #192 of 507 |
| 9Sussex County, NJ | 56 | 10 | 1.7 | $15.8M | +2.9% | #209 of 507 |
| 10Somerset County, NJ | 55 | 22 | 1.7 | $18.6M | +3.5% | #215 of 507 |
| 15Essex County, NJ | 45 | 56 | 1.8 | $14M | +4.2% | #306 of 507 |
Other business types in Essex 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 laundry51
- Clothing and shoe stores61
- Laundromats36
- Dry cleaners45
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Essex County, NJ?
There are 56 dry cleaners on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 7 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 82 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 8.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $783.8M a year, or $2,451 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $14M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
Essex County has 1.8 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $14M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Essex County would have about 50, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,900 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.9% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 45 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #306 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.