NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Metro Market Score 64.7 (Difficult), ranked #308 of 378 metros. 752 establishments, 10,519 jobs.

Metro Market Score 64.7

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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 82.8 and rising pressure at 74.6. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

23.3

LQ: 1.01

Rank #88 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

82.8

$42,187 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 22.5

Employment growth index

Rank #294 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.6

YoY wage change index

752 Retail Trade Firms in Santa Cruz-Watsonville

752

Establishments

-3.1% YoY

10,519

Total Employment

-1.9% YoY

$42,187

Average Annual Wage

+2.5% YoY

1.01

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within California

#19 of 25

retail trade metros in state

California state rank

#28 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+4.1

worse than median (60.6)

Santa Cruz-Watsonville vs California Statewide

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

Measure	Santa Cruz-Watsonville	CA Statewide
Overall Score	64.7 Difficult	44.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#308 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville

Information 31.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 44.3 Construction 47.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 49.2 Administrative and Support Services 54.0 Finance and Insurance 61.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 62.6 Other Services 78.6 Accommodation and Food Services 83.7

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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville's 64.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

St. George, UT 64.8 #309/378 Flint, MI 64.6 #307/378 Punta Gorda, FL 64.5 #306/378 Kingston, NY 64.4 #304/378 Flagstaff, AZ 64.4 #305/378 Billings, MT 64.3 #303/378 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT 65.3 #310/378 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 64.1 #302/378 Modesto, CA 64.0 #301/378 Elizabethtown, KY 64.0 #300/378

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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (77.5) 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment