Clothing and laundry · Metro area · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for dry cleaners in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #129 of 272 scored metro areas
#4 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 86
- 30 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- −25.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,231 a household
- Spending per listing
- $14.9M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.5
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Raleigh-Cary metro area
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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 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
Households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area spend about $1.3B a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,231 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. Spread across 86 dry cleaners, that is $14.9M per shop, 5% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
There are 86 dry cleaners on map listings in the Raleigh-Cary metro area as of September 2026. 30 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That is 1.5 per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Raleigh-Cary metro area in 2023, down 25.8% from 2019. That is one for every 8,204 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $319K have gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Raleigh-Cary metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Raleigh-Cary metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #129 of 272 scored metro areas and #4 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Raleigh-Cary metro area 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 | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $14.9M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 8,204 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −25.8% | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,231 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70−25.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 446
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8630 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $319K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Raleigh-Cary metro area, 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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 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 metro areas in North Carolina for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Asheville, NC | 75 | 10 | 0.6 | $30.2M | +3.6% | #17 of 272 |
| 2Wilmington, NC | 69 | 13 | 0.7 | $29.4M | +15.9% | #32 of 272 |
| 3Greenville, NC | 57 | 5 | 0.7 | $25.3M | +5.4% | #100 of 272 |
| 4Raleigh-Cary, NC | 54 | 86 | 1.5 | $14.9M | +12.6% | #129 of 272 |
| 5Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 53 | 36 | 1.5 | $14.4M | +7.5% | #135 of 272 |
| 6Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 51 | 11 | 0.7 | $23.2M | +3.2% | #143 of 272 |
| 7Winston-Salem, NC | 50 | 26 | 0.9 | $19.4M | +5.3% | #151 of 272 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 42 | 82 | 1.2 | $17.2M | +0.9% | #177 of 272 |
| 8Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 42 | 181 | 1.7 | $12.2M | +10.1% | #179 of 272 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 39 | 33 | 1.0 | $17.1M | +4.1% | #192 of 272 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary metro area
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 laundry72
- Clothing and shoe stores73
- Laundromats82
- Dry cleaners54
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 86 dry cleaners in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 30 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 25.8% from 2019.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.3B a year, or $2,231 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 86 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $14.9M 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 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 1.5 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $14.9M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 82, against 86 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,204 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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. The Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 54 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #129 of 272 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary metro area?
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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 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.