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Baltimore County, MD — Clothing stores Saturation

How many clothing stores exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 45 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Family clothing stores · General apparel shops. Counted together because official statistics use one 448140 code.

Measured density: Range spans bands — 0.84× the U.S. rate (between 0.84× and 1.85× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 37 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 34 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Range spans the U.S. rate   Baltimore County clothing stores — 84–185% of the U.S. rate

57 clothing stores are counted in Baltimore County — 0.6 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 84% of the U.S. rate of 0.7.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has fallen 4% between 2015 and 2023 (56 → 54). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 21204 (Towson), 21236 (Nottingham), 21286 (Towson) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 21117 (Owings Mills), 21228 (Catonsville), 21234 (Parkville).

Census County Business Patterns (2023) puts the county-wide count at 76 establishments, including locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA — so it can run slightly above the sum of the ZIP rows on this page. It is annual, so it lags more than QCEW.

Measured density: Baltimore County sits at 84% of the U.S. rate for clothing stores. 34 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 84% and 185% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 21204 and 21236; the lowest measured density is in 21117 and 21228.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing clothing stores and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Clothing stores
57–131
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (37 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
0.6
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
0.7
per 10,000 present
County index
0.84×
vs. U.S.
Latest year (CBP)
76
2023 — $50M annual payroll
Residents
811,235
42 ZIPs with data
Workers
333,648
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
852,425
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
−0.1%
−913 people
Net migration 2024
+3,376
international +6,257, domestic −2,881
Jobs located here
369,453
LODES 2022, −7.2% since 2019

Baltimore County had an estimated 852,425 residents on July 1, 2024 — 0.1% fewer than in 2020 (−913). In the latest year it gained 3,749 people: births minus deaths +351, international migration +6,257, domestic migration −2,881. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

369,453 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (−7.2% since 2019), and 384,172 employed residents lived there (−6.5% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
21252 Towson
+104.2%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change

No ZIP had a statistically significant decrease.

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses

Not shown. Census now groups clothing with clothing accessories (NAICS 45811); a family-clothing-only nonemployer count is not published.

Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (NAICS 2022). We do not approximate this figure.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more clothing stores in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — down 4% since 2015

Number of clothing stores in Baltimore County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

56
2015
60
2018
57
2020
54
2021
57
2022
54
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
21204 Towson
1022%
21236 Nottingham
356%
21286 Towson
195%
21244 Windsor Mill
132%
21030 Cockeysville
114%
21234 Parkville
81%
21228 Catonsville
73%
21117 Owings Mills
73%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
21117 Owings Mills
73%
21228 Catonsville
73%
21234 Parkville
81%
21030 Cockeysville
114%
21244 Windsor Mill
132%
21286 Towson
195%
21236 Nottingham
356%
21204 Towson
1022%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few clothing stores may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersClothing storesIndex
21031Hunt Valley Destination 2616,462 0–2 —
21153Stevenson Employment hub 4561,417 0–2 —
21285Towson Destination 3196 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = clothing stores per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersClothing stores Per 10kIndexStatus
21204Towson 19,84525,411 23 7.1 1022% Very high density
21236Nottingham 39,51418,552 12 2.5 356% Very high density
21286Towson 21,85315,772 4 1.3 195% High density
21244Windsor Mill 38,20811,385 4 0.9 132% Above average
21030Cockeysville 25,82724,506 3 0.8 114% Above average
21234Parkville 66,33410,461 4 0.6 81% Below average
21228Catonsville 50,49217,358 3 0.5 73% Below average
21117Owings Mills 62,81633,971 4 0.5 73% Below average
21013Baldwin 5,610332 0–2 — — Not published
21022Brooklandville —407 0–2 — — Not published
21023Butler 6641 0–2 — — Not published
21031Hunt Valley 2616,462 0–2 — — Not published
21051Fork 172105 0–2 — — Not published
21052Fort Howard 40931 0–2 — — Not published
21053Freeland 2,929396 0–2 — — Not published
21057Glen Arm 4,386879 0–2 — — Not published
21071Glyndon 404606 0–2 — — Not published
21082Hydes 626178 0–2 — — Not published
21087Kingsville 5,537942 0–2 — — Not published
21093Lutherville Timonium 39,10023,648 0–2 — — Not published
21094Lutherville Timonium —62 0–2 — — Not published
21105Maryland Line 3661 0–2 — — Not published
21111Monkton 4,714865 0–2 — — Not published
21120Parkton 7,4401,026 0–2 — — Not published
21128Perry Hall 15,5012,023 0–2 — — Not published
21131Phoenix 7,1411,746 0–2 — — Not published
21133Randallstown 31,3986,094 0–2 — — Not published
21136Reisterstown 32,0886,142 0–2 — — Not published
21152Sparks Glencoe 6,4598,622 0–2 — — Not published
21153Stevenson 4561,417 0–2 — — Not published
21155Upperco 3,313379 0–2 — — Not published
21156Upper Falls 20431 0–2 — — Not published
21162White Marsh 4,6394,425 0–2 — — Not published
21207Gwynn Oak 47,0996,909 0–2 — — Not published
21208Pikesville 37,27615,871 0–2 — — Not published
21219Sparrows Point 9,5658,331 0–2 — — Not published
21220Middle River 42,82412,583 0–2 — — Not published
21221Essex 43,4876,064 0–2 — — Not published
21222Dundalk 59,40710,114 0–2 — — Not published
21227Halethorpe 34,90720,296 0–2 — — Not published
21237Rosedale 31,42518,680 0–2 — — Not published
21250Baltimore 2,834318 0–2 — — Not published
21252Towson 4,865419 0–2 — — Not published
21282Pikesville —110 0–2 — — Not published
21285Towson 3196 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Owings Mills

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Owings Mills retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Owings Mills retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Owings Mills retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Baltimore County and clothing stores

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 448140 — family clothing stores. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. This industry has no clean QCEW series, so the freshest county signal is Census County Business Patterns 2023: 76 establishments and $50M in annual payroll county-wide. This count includes locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA, so it can be slightly higher than the sum of the ZIP rows. CBP is annual and slower than QCEW. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (0.69 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.