NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Waterbury-Shelton, CT

Metro Market Score 58.4 (Challenging), ranked #235 of 378 metros. 1,320 establishments, 18,298 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market

Waterbury-Shelton stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 86.0 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 61.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

51.9

LQ: 1.14

Rank #196 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

86.0

$42,497 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 61.4

Employment growth index

Rank #147 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

61.7

YoY wage change index

1,320 Retail Trade Firms in Waterbury-Shelton

1,320

Establishments

+100.0% YoY

18,298

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$42,497

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

1.14

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Connecticut

#2 of 5

retail trade metros in state

Connecticut state rank

#31 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-6.9

better than median (65.3)

Waterbury-Shelton vs Connecticut Statewide

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

Measure	Waterbury-Shelton	CT Statewide
Overall Score	58.4 Challenging	44.7 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#235 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 Waterbury-Shelton

Accommodation and Food Services 45.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 46.1 Other Services 51.2 Finance and Insurance 54.0 Administrative and Support Services 55.7 Construction 56.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 58.3 Healthcare and Social Assistance 59.5 Information 59.9

Retail Trade in Other Connecticut Metros

Norwich-New London-Willimantic 43.7 #76/378 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury 65.3 #310/378 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford 66.1 #314/378 New Haven 71.5 #346/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Waterbury-Shelton's 58.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378 Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 58.2 #231/378 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 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 Waterbury-Shelton's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (86.0) 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 Waterbury-Shelton, CT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment