NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Metro Market Score 60.6 (Difficult), ranked #262 of 378 metros. 8,917 establishments, 136,918 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.6

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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 95.5 and rising pressure at 77.7. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

6.6

LQ: 0.89

Rank #25 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.5

$45,583 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 34.9

Employment growth index

Rank #247 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

77.7

YoY wage change index

8,917 Retail Trade Firms in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

8,917

Establishments

-1.4% YoY

136,918

Total Employment

-1.1% YoY

$45,583

Average Annual Wage

+3.1% YoY

0.89

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within California

#13 of 25

retail trade metros in state

California state rank

#28 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (60.6)

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad vs California Statewide

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

Measure	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad	CA Statewide
Overall Score	60.6 Difficult	44.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#262 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

Healthcare and Social Assistance 38.9 Other Services 59.2 Construction 62.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.6 Information 71.5 Finance and Insurance 72.0 Administrative and Support Services 72.7 Accommodation and Food Services 72.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 81.7

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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's 60.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Tucson, AZ 60.5 #260/378 Albany, OR 60.5 #261/378 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 60.7 #263/378 Sioux City, IA 60.7 #264/378 Rockford, IL 60.5 #259/378 Saginaw, MI 60.8 #265/378 Sumter, SC 60.8 #266/378 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN 60.4 #258/378 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 60.4 #257/378 Winston-Salem, NC 60.3 #256/378

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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.5) 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment