Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in Durham County, NC
The dry cleaners in Durham County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #194 of 507 scored counties
#9 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 17
- 7 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $290M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,044 a household
- Spending per listing
- $17.1M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 347,240
- +7.7% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Durham 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 Durham 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 17 dry cleaners in Durham County. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Households in Durham County spend about $290M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,044 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $17.1M per shop, 9% above 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 18 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Durham County in 2023. That is one for every 7,880 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Durham County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Durham County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #194 of 507 scored counties and #9 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Durham County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Durham County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $17.1M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,880 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,044 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $82,316 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 176
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 177 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The 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 Durham 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 Durham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 347,240+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 141,847
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 288 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,156
- Median household income
- $82,316+35.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,501
- Median home value
- $389,400
- Jobs located here
- 257,395
- Daytime population
- 437,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Durham 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 Durham 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Durham County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 80 | 5 | 0.7 | $25.9M | +26.5% | #16 of 507 |
| 2Buncombe County, NC | 69 | 7 | 0.7 | $27.9M | +2.9% | #74 of 507 |
| 3Iredell County, NC | 69 | 7 | 0.9 | $21.7M | +12.9% | #76 of 507 |
| 4Cabarrus County, NC | 64 | 10 | 1.2 | $17.6M | +9.9% | #123 of 507 |
| 5Pitt County, NC | 62 | 5 | 0.7 | $25.3M | +5.4% | #135 of 507 |
| 6New Hanover County, NC | 60 | 8 | 0.8 | $25.5M | +8.6% | #158 of 507 |
| 7Union County, NC | 60 | 11 | 1.3 | $17.3M | +11.7% | #169 of 507 |
| 8Gaston County, NC | 58 | 12 | 1.3 | $14M | +7.8% | #184 of 507 |
| 9Durham County, NC | 57 | 17 | 1.2 | $17.1M | +7.7% | #194 of 507 |
| 10Wake County, NC | 55 | 80 | 1.7 | $13.3M | +11.2% | #220 of 507 |
Other business types in Durham 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 laundry56
- Clothing and shoe stores57
- Laundromats73
- Dry cleaners57
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Durham County, NC?
There are 17 dry cleaners on map listings in Durham County as of September 2026. 7 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
How much do households in Durham County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $290M a year, or $2,044 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $17.1M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 141,847 households in Durham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Durham County, NC compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
Durham County has 1.2 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $17.1M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Durham County would have about 19, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,880 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
How fast is Durham County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Durham County at 347,240 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 141,847 households. The median household income in Durham County is $82,316 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.0% 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. Durham County scores 57 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #194 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Durham 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 Durham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Durham 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 Durham 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.