NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR

Metro Market Score 62.9 (Difficult), ranked #284 of 378 metros. 1,643 establishments, 28,630 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers are tougher than average. The 62.9 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #284 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

33.1

LQ: 1.07

Rank #125 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

65.6

$39,474 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 34.4

Employment growth index

Rank #249 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

92.8

YoY wage change index

1,643 Retail Trade Firms in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers

1,643

Establishments

-2.0% YoY

28,630

Total Employment

-1.1% YoY

$39,474

Average Annual Wage

+6.0% YoY

1.07

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Arkansas

#4 of 5

retail trade metros in state

Arkansas state rank

#44 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+2.7

worse than median (60.2)

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers vs Arkansas Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Arkansas overall. The state ranks #44/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers	AR Statewide
Overall Score	62.9 Difficult	51.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#284 of 378 metros	#44 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers

Information 35.6 Construction 37.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 42.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 45.2 Finance and Insurance 47.6 Other Services 48.5

Retail Trade in Other Arkansas Metros

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway 42.1 #58/378 Jonesboro 47.4 #104/378 Fort Smith 60.2 #255/378 Hot Springs 71.6 #347/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers's 62.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 62.9 #285/378 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 62.9 #286/378 Greenville, NC 62.9 #283/378 Wichita Falls, TX 62.8 #282/378 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 63.1 #287/378 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 63.2 #288/378 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 63.2 #289/378 Rochester, NY 62.6 #281/378 Minot, ND 62.5 #280/378 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 63.3 #290/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Arkansas

State-level entry risk for retail trade in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Texas 41.6 #17/51 Tennessee 42.8 #22/51 Oklahoma 46.3 #35/51 Missouri 50.6 #42/51 Louisiana 52.3 #46/51 Mississippi 59.2 #51/51

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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (65.6) 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment