NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

Metro Market Score 68.7 (Difficult), ranked #327 of 378 metros. 1,542 establishments, 22,460 jobs.

Metro Market Score 68.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Wage costs in Santa Rosa-Petaluma's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 96.0 and rising pressure at 63.2. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

38.4

LQ: 1.09

Rank #145 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

96.0

$46,087 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 25.1

Employment growth index

Rank #284 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

63.2

YoY wage change index

1,542 Retail Trade Firms in Santa Rosa-Petaluma

1,542

Establishments

-0.9% YoY

22,460

Total Employment

-1.7% YoY

$46,087

Average Annual Wage

+0.3% YoY

1.09

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within California

#21 of 25

retail trade metros in state

California state rank

#28 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+8.1

worse than median (60.6)

Santa Rosa-Petaluma vs California Statewide

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

Measure	Santa Rosa-Petaluma	CA Statewide
Overall Score	68.7 Difficult	44.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#327 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 Rosa-Petaluma

Information 46.7 Administrative and Support Services 54.3 Healthcare and Social Assistance 61.3 Other Services 63.7 Finance and Insurance 67.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 68.5 Construction 68.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.5 Accommodation and Food Services 76.1

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 Rosa-Petaluma's 68.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Naples-Marco Island, FL 68.8 #328/378 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 69.2 #329/378 Bay City, MI 69.3 #330/378 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 69.3 #331/378 Longview-Kelso, WA 69.3 #332/378 Yakima, WA 67.8 #326/378 Springfield, MA 67.8 #325/378 Hammond, LA 69.7 #333/378 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 69.7 #334/378 Jacksonville, NC 69.7 #335/378

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 Rosa-Petaluma's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (96.0) 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 Rosa-Petaluma, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment