Clothing and laundry · Metro area · South Carolina
Dry cleaners in the Columbia, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for dry cleaners in the Columbia, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #230 of 272 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 53
- 16 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- −17.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $618.6M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,822 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.7M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.6
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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
For dry cleaners, the Columbia metro area has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #230 of 272 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Columbia metro area comes to about $618.6M a year: $1,822 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $11.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
There are 53 dry cleaners on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. 16 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.6, 23% above the U.S. rate of 1.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Columbia metro area was 46 in 2023, down 17.0% from 2019. That is one for every 7,383 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Columbia metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbia metro area grew 6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for South 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 | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $11.7M | $14.9M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,383 | 9,540 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.0% | −11.9% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,822 | $1,838 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46−17.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 262
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5316 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 40The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 64 | 19 | 0.8 | $22.4M | +4.7% | #58 of 272 |
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 58 | 12 | 0.8 | $20.8M | +14.3% | #96 of 272 |
| 2Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 57 | 14 | 0.9 | $20M | +20.9% | #103 of 272 |
| 3Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 55 | 10 | 1.0 | $19.5M | +12.0% | #116 of 272 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 53 | 45 | 1.3 | $15.2M | +10.7% | #133 of 272 |
| 5Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 51 | 47 | 1.2 | $15.1M | +9.0% | #149 of 272 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 42 | 181 | 1.7 | $12.2M | +10.1% | #179 of 272 |
| 6Florence, SC | 33 | 14 | 1.8 | $9.4M | +0.9% | #220 of 272 |
| 7Columbia, SC | 31 | 53 | 1.6 | $11.7M | +6.0% | #230 of 272 |
| 8Sumter, SC | 22 | 8 | 1.9 | $8.5M | −0.3% | #259 of 272 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 stores46
- Laundromats65
- Dry cleaners31
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Columbia, SC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 53 dry cleaners in the Columbia metro area. 16 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 17.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $618.6M a year, or $1,822 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 53 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $11.7M 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 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Columbia metro area has 1.6 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $11.7M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 40, against 53 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,383 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 31 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #230 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.