NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in New Haven, CT

Metro Market Score 71.5 (Difficult), ranked #346 of 378 metros. 1,925 establishments, 26,237 jobs.

Metro Market Score 71.5

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 New Haven's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 90.2 and rising pressure at 80.8. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

11.9

LQ: 0.93

Rank #45 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

90.2

$43,518 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 0.5

Employment growth index

Rank #377 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

80.8

YoY wage change index

1,925 Retail Trade Firms in New Haven

1,925

Establishments

-32.3% YoY

26,237

Total Employment

-33.1% YoY

$43,518

Average Annual Wage

+3.7% YoY

0.93

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Connecticut

#5 of 5

retail trade metros in state

Connecticut state rank

#31 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+6.2

worse than median (65.3)

New Haven vs Connecticut Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Connecticut overall. The state ranks #31/51 for entry risk.

Measure	New Haven	CT Statewide
Overall Score	71.5 Difficult	44.7 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#346 of 378 metros	#31 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 New Haven

Construction 59.5 Accommodation and Food Services 67.6 Finance and Insurance 74.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 75.1 Information 75.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 78.5 Other Services 80.3 Healthcare and Social Assistance 80.3 Administrative and Support Services 86.9

Retail Trade in Other Connecticut Metros

Norwich-New London-Willimantic 43.7 #76/378 Waterbury-Shelton 58.4 #235/378 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 65.3 #310/378 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 66.1 #314/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of New Haven's 71.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Hot Springs, AR 71.6 #347/378 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 71.8 #348/378 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 71.2 #345/378 Lafayette, LA 71.2 #344/378 Grants Pass, OR 71.9 #349/378 Rapid City, SD 70.8 #343/378 Santa Fe, NM 70.8 #342/378 Vallejo, CA 72.3 #350/378 Anchorage, AK 72.7 #351/378 Dothan, AL 72.8 #352/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Connecticut

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

Massachusetts 37.1 #4/51 Rhode Island 42.3 #21/51 New York 57.2 #49/51

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 New Haven's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (99.5) 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 New Haven, CT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment