Clothing and laundry · County · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in Union County, NC
How Union 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 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #169 of 507 scored counties
#7 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 11
- 2 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $190.8M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,265 a household
- Spending per listing
- $17.3M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Union 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 Union 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 11 dry cleaners in Union County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 18%, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.3 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3.
At $2,265 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Union County spend about $190.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $17.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 11% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Union County was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 6,480 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For dry cleaners, Union County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #169 of 507 scored counties and #7 of 24 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $17.3M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,480 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,265 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 63
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 laundry82
- Clothing and shoe stores84
- Laundromats
- Dry cleaners60
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in Union County, NC?
There are 11 dry cleaners on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $190.8M a year, or $2,265 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $17.3M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
Union County has 1.3 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $17.3M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Union County would have about 12, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,480 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 60 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #169 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.