NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Gainesville, FL

Metro Market Score 24.8 (Favorable), ranked #2 of 378 metros. 1,145 establishments, 15,837 jobs.

Metro Market Score 24.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Favorable

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

📈Rapid Growth✓Favorable Market🌱Emerging Market

Employment in Gainesville's retail trade sector grew faster than most metros last year, pushing its growth trend index to 97.9. Combined with a 24.8 market score, this metro sits in the top 10% for overall conditions.

Industry Concentration

27.3

LQ: 1.04

Rank #103 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

20.6

$34,825 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 97.9

Employment growth index

Rank #9 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

61.1

YoY wage change index

1,145 Retail Trade Firms in Gainesville

1,145

Establishments

+19.1% YoY

15,837

Total Employment

+12.6% YoY

$34,825

Average Annual Wage

-0.1% YoY

1.04

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Florida

#1 of 22

retail trade metros in state

Florida state rank

#43 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-31.6

better than median (56.4)

Gainesville vs Florida Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Florida overall. The state ranks #43/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Gainesville	FL Statewide
Overall Score	24.8 Favorable	51.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#2 of 378 metros	#43 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 Gainesville

Construction 18.0 Other Services 28.3 Finance and Insurance 38.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.8 Information 53.9

Retail Trade in Other Florida Metros

Tallahassee 38.1 #37/378 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 47.7 #106/378 Jacksonville 48.1 #110/378 Homosassa Springs 49.6 #131/378 Panama City-Panama City Beach 50.1 #142/378 Sebring 50.6 #149/378 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford 52.0 #163/378 Wildwood-The Villages 52.1 #164/378 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent 54.0 #188/378 Port St. Lucie 55.7 #205/378

+ 11 more metros. View all in Florida →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Gainesville's 24.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Champaign-Urbana, IL 24.9 #3/378 Columbus, IN 24.9 #4/378 Las Cruces, NM 26.0 #5/378 Manhattan, KS 26.3 #6/378 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 21.5 #1/378 Ames, IA 28.5 #7/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Florida

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

Alabama 46.4 #36/51 Georgia 47.5 #38/51

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 Gainesville's retail trade sector, the wage pressure component (61.1) 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 Gainesville, FL MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment