Which state has the most clothing stores per capita?

Hawaii, with 83.5 clothing stores per 100,000 residents (1,199 in total) — 2.0× the national rate of 42.1. Vermont is second at 57.3.

How many clothing stores are there in the United States?

140,993 independent clothing stores across the 50 states and D.C., or 42.1 per 100,000 residents. That is 5.8% of the 2,427,402 shoppable independent retail places counted.

Which state has the most clothing stores in total?

California, with 19,351 — 7.13% of its retail places. Texas (11,494) and Florida (10,666) follow.

Clothing Stores by State: Every State Ranked

The U.S. has 140,993 independent clothing stores — 42.1 per 100,000 residents. Hawaii has 83.5 per 100k, 2.0× the national rate; Nebraska has 21.7. All 50 states and D.C., ranked.

Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research

Clothing Stores in America

140,993

clothing stores in the U.S.

5.8% of all independent retail

42.1

per 100,000 residents

national rate

83.5

per 100k in Hawaii

the densest state · 2.0× the national rate

19,351

clothing stores in California

the largest total of any state

Leaders and laggards

Per capita, the five states with the most clothing stores are Hawaii (83.5), Vermont (57.3), Wyoming (56.8), New Hampshire (51.9), New York (50.7) per 100,000 residents. The five with the fewest are Indiana (33.3), West Virginia (33.1), Virginia (32.6), Arizona (32.5), Nebraska (21.7). The gap between Hawaii and Nebraska is 3.8×.

By raw count, California has the most clothing stores (19,351), followed by Texas (11,494) and Florida (10,666). Nationally, clothing stores are 5.8% of all 2,427,402 independent retail places counted.

Clothing Stores in every state, densest to sparsest

Independent clothing stores per state: total count, stores per 100,000 residents, and the category's share of the state's retail.

#	State	Clothing Stores	Per 100k	Share of state retail
1	Hawaii	1,199	83.5	9.8%
2	Vermont	371	57.3	5.4%
3	Wyoming	332	56.8	5.7%
4	New Hampshire	728	51.9	5.3%
5	New York	9,925	50.7	7.1%
6	California	19,351	49.7	7.1%
7	North Dakota	388	49.5	5.4%
8	Mississippi	1,442	49.1	6.8%
9	Massachusetts	3,316	47.4	6.1%
10	Montana	537	47.4	5.2%
11	Florida	10,666	47.2	6.1%
12	Colorado	2,755	46.9	6.0%
13	Louisiana	2,141	46.8	6.3%
14	Nevada	1,485	46.5	7.3%
15	South Carolina	2,435	45.3	6.2%
16	Georgia	4,990	45.2	6.0%
17	New Jersey	4,201	45.2	6.2%
18	Tennessee	3,181	44.6	5.8%
19	Maine	616	44.1	4.5%
20	South Dakota	404	43.9	5.4%
21	Arkansas	1,301	42.4	5.6%
22	Connecticut	1,532	42.4	5.4%
23	Alabama	2,150	42.1	6.0%
24	Alaska	307	41.9	5.0%
25	Rhode Island	459	41.9	5.6%
26	New Mexico	877	41.5	5.9%
27	Michigan	4,143	41.3	5.6%
28	Minnesota	2,341	40.8	5.0%
29	North Carolina	4,372	40.3	5.3%
30	Oregon	1,701	40.2	4.8%
31	Kansas	1,169	39.8	5.3%
32	Illinois	4,917	39.2	5.4%
33	Delaware	403	39.1	5.6%
34	Oklahoma	1,579	39	5.5%
35	Kentucky	1,714	37.9	5.3%
36	Pennsylvania	4,885	37.7	4.9%
37	Texas	11,494	37.7	5.8%
38	Utah	1,289	37.7	6.2%
39	Missouri	2,321	37.5	4.8%
40	Iowa	1,186	37	4.6%
41	Wisconsin	2,166	36.6	4.4%
42	Idaho	707	36	4.9%
43	Washington, D.C.	244	35.9	6.9%
44	Washington	2,714	34.7	5.2%
45	Maryland	2,073	33.5	5.5%
46	Ohio	3,931	33.4	4.8%
47	Indiana	2,284	33.3	4.6%
48	West Virginia	586	33.1	4.8%
49	Virginia	2,838	32.6	5.1%
50	Arizona	2,417	32.5	5.3%
51	Nebraska	430	21.7	3.8%

Rank is by stores per 100,000 residents (Census 2023 population). Share is the category's portion of the state's independent retail places. Boutiques and women's, men's and children's clothing stores carry their own label and are counted separately.

Frequently asked questions

Which state has the most clothing stores per capita?: Hawaii, with 83.5 clothing stores per 100,000 residents (1,199 in total) — 2.0× the national rate of 42.1. Vermont is second at 57.3.
How many clothing stores are there in the United States?: 140,993 independent clothing stores across the 50 states and D.C., or 42.1 per 100,000 residents. That is 5.8% of the 2,427,402 shoppable independent retail places counted.
Which state has the most clothing stores in total?: California, with 19,351 — 7.13% of its retail places. Texas (11,494) and Florida (10,666) follow.

Related reports

Where clothing stores are densest

Biggest Retail Cities in Hawaii: Top 25 Towns Ranked#1 for clothing stores — 83.5 per 100k
Biggest Retail Cities in Vermont: Top 25 Towns Ranked#2 for clothing stores — 57.3 per 100k
Biggest Retail Cities in Wyoming: Top 25 Towns Ranked#3 for clothing stores — 56.8 per 100k
Biggest Retail Cities in New Hampshire: Top 25 Towns Ranked#4 for clothing stores — 51.9 per 100k
Biggest Retail Cities in New York: Top 25 Towns Ranked#5 for clothing stores — 50.7 per 100k

Other store types by state

National retail reports

All retail reports →

Data & method

Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.

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