Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · County · Illinois

Laundromats in Cook County, IL

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for laundromats in Cook County, IL, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #508 of 785 scored counties
#14 of 24 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
388
83 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
260
+2.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.6B
On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,168 a household
Spending per listing
$11.7M
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
1.8
13% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
5,194,625
−1.3% since 2020

See the laundromats around any address in Cook County

The site report maps the laundromats 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $2,168 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Cook County spend about $4.6B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $11.7M of household spending for each laundromat on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats.

Cook County has 388 laundromats on map listings as of September 2026. 83 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 19% across the U.S. That comes to 1.8 for every 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 1.6.

In 2023, official counts showed 260 businesses with payroll in Cook County classed as coin-operated laundries, up 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 8,078 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 30 SBA-backed loans worth $18.2M have gone to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in Cook County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cook County declined 1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For laundromats, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #508 of 785 scored counties and #14 of 24 scored counties in Illinois.

How Cook County compares

The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the laundromats counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Laundromats in Cook County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureCook CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households1.81.71.6
Spending per listing$11.7M$12.8M$12.5M
Households per official establishment8,07810,62511,865
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+2.4%+3.3%+3.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.3%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$2,168$2,141$2,055
Median household income$83,498$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score4032

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
254 → 260+2.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,048
Annual payroll, 2023
$30.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
38883 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
364The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
30
Amount
$18.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in Cook County, 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 Cook County

Population, 2025 estimate
5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
Households
2,100,230
Median age
39.2
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.4
Land area
945 sq. mi.
People per square mile
5,484
Median household income
$83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$120,729
Median home value
$324,500
Jobs located here
2,683,238
Daytime population
5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cook County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the laundromats on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Laundromats across Illinois

Every Illinois market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for laundromats, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for laundromats by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Will County, IL71291.2$20.2M+2.2%#142 of 785
2McLean County, IL6960.9$24.1M+0.1%#159 of 785
3DuPage County, IL69541.5$16.2M+0.3%#168 of 785
4Champaign County, IL68101.2$16.3M+1.8%#181 of 785
5Lake County, IL64361.4$18M+0.8%#212 of 785
6McHenry County, IL64161.4$17.3M+2.5%#215 of 785
7Peoria County, IL6060.8$24.8M−1.6%#258 of 785
8Sangamon County, IL5680.9$21.2M−1.0%#313 of 785
9Kane County, IL50351.9$12.4M+1.8%#380 of 785
10Grundy County, IL5052.4$9M+2.9%#384 of 785
14Cook County, IL403881.8$11.7M−1.3%#508 of 785

Other business types in Cook County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many laundromats are in Cook County, IL?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 388 laundromats in Cook County. 83 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. Official counts show 260 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019.

How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $4.6B a year, or $2,168 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 388 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $11.7M per laundromat. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which laundromats share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for laundromats?

Cook County has 1.8 laundromats per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $11.7M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending, Cook County would have about 364, against 388 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,078 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +3.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Cook County, IL growing?

Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 40 for laundromats (lower middle), #508 of 785 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook County. It maps the laundromats 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 laundromats · All 56 business types in Cook County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook County?

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 Cook County. 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.