Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston County, NC 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #184 of 507 scored counties
#8 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 12
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $168.1M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,796 a household
- Spending per listing
- $14M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Gaston County comes to about $168.1M a year: $1,796 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 12 dry cleaners, that is $14M per shop, 11% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
Gaston County has 12 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Gaston County in 2023. That is one for every 18,715 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gaston County grew 7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #184 of 507 scored counties and #8 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $14M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 18,715 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,796 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 25
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $364K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 121 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 stores58
- Laundromats56
- Dry cleaners58
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Gaston County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 dry cleaners in Gaston County. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $168.1M a year, or $1,796 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $14M per shop. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which dry cleaners share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
Gaston County has 1.3 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $14M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Gaston County would have about 11, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 18,715 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 58 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #184 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.