NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Redding, CA

Metro Market Score 81.1 (Difficult), ranked #377 of 378 metros. 610 establishments, 8,979 jobs.

Metro Market Score 81.1

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Redding stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 80.4 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 66.8 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

80.2

LQ: 1.28

Rank #303 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

80.4

$41,559 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 7.9

Employment growth index

Rank #349 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

66.8

YoY wage change index

610 Retail Trade Firms in Redding

610

Establishments

-0.2% YoY

8,979

Total Employment

-3.9% YoY

$41,559

Average Annual Wage

+1.0% YoY

1.28

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within California

#25 of 25

retail trade metros in state

California state rank

#28 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+20.5

worse than median (60.6)

Redding vs California Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to California overall. The state ranks #28/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Redding	CA Statewide
Overall Score	81.1 Difficult	44.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#377 of 378 metros	#28 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 Redding

Finance and Insurance 32.8 Administrative and Support Services 39.9 Healthcare and Social Assistance 41.1 Information 41.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 43.3 Other Services 43.7 Construction 50.9 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 53.3 Accommodation and Food Services 62.2

Retail Trade in Other California Metros

Fresno 35.8 #28/378 Visalia 38.4 #39/378 Napa 38.8 #43/378 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara 51.6 #157/378 El Centro 53.6 #180/378 Salinas 53.7 #184/378 Hanford-Corcoran 55.6 #204/378 Merced 56.2 #211/378 Bakersfield-Delano 56.4 #213/378 Yuba City 56.6 #215/378

+ 14 more metros. View all in California →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Redding's 81.1 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Kahului-Wailuku, HI 79.9 #376/378 Barnstable Town, MA 83.1 #378/378 Great Falls, MT 78.9 #375/378 Medford, OR 78.9 #374/378 Coeur d'Alene, ID 78.6 #373/378 Salisbury, MD 78.6 #372/378 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 77.7 #371/378 Pittsfield, MA 77.0 #370/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering California

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

Nevada 37.0 #3/51 Oregon 42.9 #24/51 Arizona 44.9 #32/51

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 Redding's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (92.1) 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 Redding, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment