Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Washington
Dry cleaners in the Bellingham, WA metro area
How the Bellingham, WA 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #18 of 272 scored metro areas
#1 of 6 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $172.4M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,833 a household
- Spending per listing
- $34.5M
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.5
- 62% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the Bellingham 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 Bellingham 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 Bellingham metro area has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #18 of 272 scored metro areas and #1 of 6 scored metro areas based in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for dry cleaners.
At $1,833 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in the Bellingham metro area spend about $172.4M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. Spread across 5 dry cleaners, that is $34.5M per shop, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
The Bellingham metro area has 5 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.5, 62% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the Bellingham metro area was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 15,670 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Bellingham metro area grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Bellingham metro area compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Bellingham metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $34.5M | $27.5M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,670 | 10,148 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −20.1% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,833 | $2,048 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 30
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $670K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The 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 Bellingham 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 Bellingham metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bellingham 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 Bellingham 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Washington for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in Washington (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bellingham metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bellingham, WA | 74 | 5 | 0.5 | $34.5M | +3.9% | #18 of 272 |
| 2Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 65 | 13 | 0.5 | $32.4M | +3.5% | #45 of 272 |
| 3Kennewick-Richland, WA | 64 | 7 | 0.6 | $29.1M | +6.5% | #54 of 272 |
| 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 63 | 152 | 0.9 | $23.8M | +3.3% | #64 of 272 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 60 | 92 | 0.9 | $22.2M | +1.0% | #87 of 272 |
| 5Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 54 | 8 | 0.7 | $28.5M | +2.8% | #120 of 272 |
| 6Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 54 | 6 | 1.1 | $16.4M | +2.4% | #125 of 272 |
Other business types in the Bellingham 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 laundry63
- Clothing and shoe stores63
- Laundromats63
- Dry cleaners74
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the Bellingham, WA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 dry cleaners in the Bellingham metro area. None of them are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
How much do households in the Bellingham, WA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $172.4M a year, or $1,833 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $34.5M 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 94,021 households in the Bellingham metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bellingham, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The Bellingham metro area has 0.5 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 62% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $34.5M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the Bellingham metro area would have about 11, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,670 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S.
How fast is the Bellingham, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bellingham metro area at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in the Bellingham metro area is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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 Bellingham metro area scores 74 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #18 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 Bellingham 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 Bellingham metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bellingham 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 Bellingham 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.