Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Dry cleaners in the Reading, PA metro area
The dry cleaners in the Reading, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #40 of 272 scored metro areas
#6 of 9 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 13
- 4 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- −15.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $365.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,239 a household
- Spending per listing
- $28.1M
- 79% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.8
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Reading 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 Reading 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
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Reading metro area comes to about $365.5M a year: $2,239 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That works out to $28.1M per shop, 79% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
The Reading metro area has 13 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That is 0.8 per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Reading metro area was 17 in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019. That is one for every 9,602 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for dry cleaners in the Reading metro area is 67 (upper middle), #40 of 272 scored metro areas and #6 of 9 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Reading metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $28.1M | $20.7M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,602 | 10,086 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.0% | −19.8% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,239 | $2,270 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17−15.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 75
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Reading metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1York-Hanover, PA | 81 | 17 | 0.9 | $24.3M | +3.6% | #10 of 272 |
| 2Lancaster, PA | 77 | 19 | 0.9 | $26.1M | +1.9% | #15 of 272 |
| 3Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 74 | 26 | 1.1 | $21.5M | +4.2% | #22 of 272 |
| 4Erie, PA | 69 | 8 | 0.7 | $28M | −1.8% | #33 of 272 |
| 5Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 69 | 37 | 1.1 | $21.4M | +3.0% | #36 of 272 |
| 6Reading, PA | 67 | 13 | 0.8 | $28.1M | +2.7% | #40 of 272 |
| 7Pittsburgh, PA | 64 | 100 | 0.9 | $23.7M | −1.3% | #57 of 272 |
| 8Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA | 56 | 30 | 1.3 | $16M | +1.4% | #113 of 272 |
| 9Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 40 | 393 | 1.6 | $15.4M | +1.4% | #184 of 272 |
Other business types in the Reading 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 laundry83
- Clothing and shoe stores85
- Laundromats43
- Dry cleaners67
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Reading, PA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 dry cleaners in the Reading metro area. 4 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 15.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $365.5M a year, or $2,239 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $28.1M 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 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Reading metro area has 0.8 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $28.1M, 79% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 23, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,602 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 67 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #40 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.