Clothing and laundry · Metro area · North Carolina
Dry cleaners in the Wilmington, NC metro area
The dry cleaners in the Wilmington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #32 of 272 scored metro areas
#2 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 13
- 3 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +14.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $382M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,917 a household
- Spending per listing
- $29.4M
- 88% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.7
- 46% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 492,772
- +15.9% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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
At $1,917 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilmington metro area spend about $382M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $29.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 88% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
There are 13 dry cleaners on map listings in the Wilmington metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.7, 46% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Wilmington metro area in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 8,303 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Wilmington metro area grew 15.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for dry cleaners in the Wilmington metro area is 69 (upper middle), #32 of 272 scored metro areas and #2 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Wilmington 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 | Wilmington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $29.4M | $16.2M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 8,303 | 9,371 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.3% | −20.2% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +15.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,917 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $76,471 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24+14.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 94
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 133 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 the Wilmington 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 Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 492,772+15.9% since 2020
- Households
- 199,271
- Median age
- 45.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,913 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 237
- Median household income
- $76,471
- Average household income
- $104,427
- Median home value
- $362,400
- Jobs located here
- 180,798
- Daytime population
- 448,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 laundry45
- Clothing and shoe stores44
- Laundromats72
- Dry cleaners69
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Wilmington, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 dry cleaners in the Wilmington metro area. 3 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Wilmington, NC metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $382M a year, or $1,917 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $29.4M 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 199,271 households in the Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilmington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Wilmington metro area has 0.7 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $29.4M, 88% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the Wilmington metro area would have about 24, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,303 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wilmington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilmington metro area at 492,772 people in 2025, up 15.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 199,271 households. Median household income in the Wilmington metro area is $76,471, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Wilmington metro area scores 69 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #32 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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.