NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Metro Market Score 58.5 (Challenging), ranked #239 of 378 metros. 10,903 establishments, 182,332 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 91.3 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 78.2 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

36.5

LQ: 1.08

Rank #138 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

91.3

$43,911 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 63.5

Employment growth index

Rank #139 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

78.2

YoY wage change index

10,903 Retail Trade Firms in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

10,903

Establishments

+0.3% YoY

182,332

Total Employment

+0.1% YoY

$43,911

Average Annual Wage

+3.2% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within California

#11 of 25

retail trade metros in state

California state rank

#28 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-2.1

better than median (60.6)

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario vs California Statewide

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

Measure	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	CA Statewide
Overall Score	58.5 Challenging	44.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#239 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario

Healthcare and Social Assistance 27.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 28.0 Finance and Insurance 43.9 Other Services 45.3 Information 46.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 51.6 Construction 60.5 Administrative and Support Services 61.4 Accommodation and Food Services 72.8

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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario's 58.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 58.6 #240/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 58.7 #241/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378 Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378 Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 58.2 #231/378

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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (91.3) 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment