Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Virginia
Dry cleaners in the Richmond, VA metro area
How the Richmond, VA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for dry cleaners: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #161 of 272 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 70
- 25 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 78
- −27.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,070 a household
- Spending per listing
- $15.8M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,389,338
- +5.5% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 70 dry cleaners in the Richmond metro area. 25 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in the Richmond metro area comes to about $1.1B a year: $2,070 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $15.8M of household spending for each shop on map listings, in line with 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.
Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Richmond metro area in 2023, down 27.4% from 2019. That is one for every 6,839 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Richmond metro area.
Population estimates show the Richmond metro area grew 5.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for dry cleaners in the Richmond metro area is 47 (lower middle), #161 of 272 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Virginia.
How the Richmond metro area compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Richmond metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $15.8M | $17.5M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,839 | 6,652 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −27.4% | −21.5% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,070 | $2,176 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $86,679 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 78−27.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 474
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7025 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 70The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Richmond 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 Richmond metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,389,338+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 533,430
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 307
- Median household income
- $86,679+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,479
- Median home value
- $353,500
- Jobs located here
- 693,750
- Daytime population
- 1,389,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Virginia for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Richmond metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charlottesville, VA | 71 | 7 | 0.8 | $28M | +3.1% | #27 of 272 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 57 | 10 | 0.8 | $22M | +2.3% | #101 of 272 |
| 2Roanoke, VA | 54 | 13 | 1.0 | $18.4M | +0.4% | #123 of 272 |
| 3Winchester, VA-WV | 52 | 7 | 1.3 | $16M | +6.5% | #140 of 272 |
| 4Richmond, VA | 47 | 70 | 1.3 | $15.8M | +5.5% | #161 of 272 |
| 5Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 42 | 82 | 1.2 | $17.2M | +0.9% | #177 of 272 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 40 | 417 | 1.8 | $14.5M | +3.3% | #187 of 272 |
Other business types in the Richmond 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 laundry68
- Clothing and shoe stores71
- Laundromats70
- Dry cleaners47
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Richmond, VA metro area?
There are 70 dry cleaners on map listings in the Richmond metro area as of September 2026. 25 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 27.4% from 2019.
How much do households in the Richmond, VA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.1B a year, or $2,070 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $15.8M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 533,430 households in the Richmond metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Richmond, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Richmond metro area has 1.3 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $15.8M, in line with the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,839 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 27.4% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Richmond, VA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Richmond metro area at 1,389,338 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 533,430 households. The median household income in the Richmond metro area is $86,679 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. The Richmond metro area scores 47 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #161 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 Richmond 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 Richmond metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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.