NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Boulder, CO

Metro Market Score 58.3 (Challenging), ranked #234 of 378 metros. 1,119 establishments, 16,620 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.3

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

Boulder stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 91.8 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 70.5 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

5.0

LQ: 0.86

Rank #19 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

91.8

$44,017 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 33.3

Employment growth index

Rank #253 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.5

YoY wage change index

1,119 Retail Trade Firms in Boulder

1,119

Establishments

-2.4% YoY

16,620

Total Employment

-1.2% YoY

$44,017

Average Annual Wage

+1.7% YoY

0.86

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Colorado

#4 of 6

retail trade metros in state

Colorado state rank

#23 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (58.3)

Boulder vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #23/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boulder	CO Statewide
Overall Score	58.3 Challenging	42.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#234 of 378 metros	#23 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 Boulder

Construction 53.8 Administrative and Support Services 54.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 54.6 Other Services 55.5 Finance and Insurance 61.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 66.6 Information 68.1 Accommodation and Food Services 71.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 84.0

Retail Trade in Other Colorado Metros

Greeley 48.0 #109/378 Colorado Springs 54.1 #190/378 Fort Collins-Loveland 57.8 #229/378 Grand Junction 67.2 #322/378 Pueblo 74.5 #365/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boulder's 58.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 58.2 #231/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 58.5 #239/378 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 58.6 #240/378 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 58.7 #241/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Colorado

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

Nebraska 35.9 #2/51 New Mexico 39.9 #11/51 Utah 40.3 #13/51 Kansas 40.4 #14/51 Arizona 44.9 #32/51 Wyoming 44.9 #33/51 Oklahoma 46.3 #35/51

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 Boulder's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (91.8) 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 Boulder, CO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment