NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Metro Market Score 58.6 (Challenging), ranked #240 of 378 metros. 19,280 establishments, 293,427 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market

Wage costs in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 89.2 and rising pressure at 70.0. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

23.5

LQ: 1.02

Rank #89 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

89.2

$43,449 avg wage

Growth Trend

45.2

Employment growth index

Rank #208 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.0

YoY wage change index

19,280 Retail Trade Firms in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

19,280

Establishments

+4.5% YoY

293,427

Total Employment

-0.4% YoY

$43,449

Average Annual Wage

+1.6% YoY

1.02

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Georgia

#11 of 13

retail trade metros in state

Georgia state rank

#38 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+5.0

worse than median (53.6)

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell vs Georgia Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Georgia overall. The state ranks #38/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell	GA Statewide
Overall Score	58.6 Challenging	47.5 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#240 of 378 metros	#38 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

Other Services 44.5

Retail Trade in Other Georgia Metros

Columbus 30.9 #8/378 Brunswick-St. Simons 36.0 #29/378 Gainesville 39.0 #45/378 Rome 42.8 #67/378 Augusta-Richmond County 43.2 #73/378 Dalton 44.4 #79/378 Albany 53.6 #182/378 Athens-Clarke County 54.2 #193/378 Hinesville 54.6 #194/378 Savannah 58.3 #233/378

+ 2 more metros. View all in Georgia →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell's 58.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 58.5 #239/378 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 58.7 #241/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378 Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378 Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Kennewick-Richland, WA 58.9 #242/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Georgia

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

Tennessee 42.8 #22/51 North Carolina 43.4 #25/51 South Carolina 44.3 #30/51 Alabama 46.4 #36/51 Florida 51.0 #43/51

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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (89.2) 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment