Clothing and laundry · Metro area · North Carolina
Laundromats in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
The laundromats in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #12 of 364 scored metro areas
#1 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 47
- 18 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +44.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,231 a household
- Spending per listing
- $27.3M
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 0.8
- 50% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the laundromats around any address in the Raleigh-Cary metro area
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 the Raleigh-Cary 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 laundromats, the Raleigh-Cary metro area has a Groundwork market score of 82 (high): #12 of 364 scored metro areas and #1 of 13 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for laundromats.
At $2,231 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area spend about $1.3B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $27.3M per laundromat, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats.
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 47 laundromats on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 19% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.8, 50% below the U.S. rate of 1.6.
Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in the Raleigh-Cary metro area in 2023, up 44.0% from 2019. That is one for every 15,113 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Raleigh-Cary metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Raleigh-Cary metro area compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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.
| Measure | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Spending per listing | $27.3M | $16.8M | $12.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,113 | 13,859 | 11,865 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +44.0% | +15.3% | +3.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,231 | $1,894 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38+44.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 124
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4718 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 102The 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 coin-operated laundries in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary 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 laundromats on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Raleigh-Cary metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardLaundromats across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for laundromats, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Raleigh-Cary, NC | 82 | 47 | 0.8 | $27.3M | +12.6% | #12 of 364 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 79 | 22 | 0.9 | $23.6M | +7.5% | #22 of 364 |
| 3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 74 | 108 | 1.0 | $20.4M | +10.1% | #42 of 364 |
| 4Wilmington, NC | 72 | 20 | 1.0 | $19.1M | +15.9% | #51 of 364 |
| 5Jacksonville, NC | 64 | 9 | 1.2 | $14.5M | +6.0% | #94 of 364 |
| 6Asheville, NC | 63 | 17 | 1.1 | $17.8M | +3.6% | #99 of 364 |
| 7Greensboro-High Point, NC | 56 | 41 | 1.3 | $13.8M | +4.1% | #146 of 364 |
| 8Winston-Salem, NC | 50 | 39 | 1.4 | $12.9M | +5.3% | #178 of 364 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 48 | 90 | 1.3 | $15.6M | +0.9% | #185 of 364 |
| 9Rocky Mount, NC | 41 | 6 | 1.0 | $16.4M | +2.8% | #230 of 364 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary 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 laundry72
- Clothing and shoe stores73
- Laundromats82
- Dry cleaners54
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many laundromats are in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 laundromats in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 18 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in 2023, up 44.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $1.3B a year, or $2,231 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $27.3M 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 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for laundromats?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 0.8 laundromats per 10,000 households, 50% below the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $27.3M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 102, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,113 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. The official count rose 44.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +3.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 82 for laundromats (high), #12 of 364 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 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 the Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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.