NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Anchorage, AK

Metro Market Score 72.7 (Difficult), ranked #351 of 378 metros. 1,025 establishments, 19,528 jobs.

Metro Market Score 72.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national retail trade average.

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in Anchorage's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 89.4 and rising pressure at 78.8. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

42.3

LQ: 1.11

Rank #160 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

89.4

$43,474 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 20.1

Employment growth index

Rank #303 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

78.8

YoY wage change index

1,025 Retail Trade Firms in Anchorage

1,025

Establishments

-0.4% YoY

19,528

Total Employment

-2.0% YoY

$43,474

Average Annual Wage

+3.3% YoY

1.11

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Alaska

#1 of 2

retail trade metros in state

Alaska state rank

#5 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-1.6

better than median (74.3)

Anchorage vs Alaska Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Alaska overall. The state ranks #5/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Anchorage	AK Statewide
Overall Score	72.7 Difficult	37.2 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#351 of 378 metros	#5 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Anchorage

Administrative and Support Services 49.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54.6 Construction 55.7 Finance and Insurance 61.9 Healthcare and Social Assistance 63.5 Other Services 64.1 Information 64.2 Accommodation and Food Services 73.2

Retail Trade in Other Alaska Metros

Fairbanks-College 74.3 #362/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Anchorage's 72.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Dothan, AL 72.8 #352/378 Asheville, NC 72.8 #353/378 Carson City, NV 72.9 #354/378 Abilene, TX 72.9 #355/378 Vallejo, CA 72.3 #350/378 Victoria, TX 73.0 #356/378 Tyler, TX 73.4 #357/378 Grants Pass, OR 71.9 #349/378 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 71.8 #348/378 Hattiesburg, MS 73.6 #358/378

Browse Retail Trade in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for retail trade across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Anchorage's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (79.9) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Anchorage, AK MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment