NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL

Metro Market Score 63.1 (Difficult), ranked #287 of 378 metros. 23,484 establishments, 414,721 jobs.

Metro Market Assessment

Metro Market Score 63.1
Favorable 0-35
Moderate 35-48
Challenging 48-60
Difficult 60+
Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 87.0 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 59.6 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration
11.1
LQ: 0.93
Rank #42 of 378 metros
Wage Competitiveness
87.0
$42,913 avg wage
Growth Trend
↓ 11.1
Employment growth index
Rank #337 of 378 metros
Wage Pressure
59.6
YoY wage change index

23,484 Retail Trade Firms in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

23,484
Establishments
-3.0% YoY
414,721
Total Employment
-3.0% YoY
$42,913
Average Annual Wage
-0.4% YoY
0.93
Location Quotient
Below national avg

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin vs Illinois Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Illinois overall. The state ranks #39/51 for entry risk.

Measure Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL Statewide
Overall Score 63.1 Difficult 48.1 Elevated
Score Type Metro Market Score Entry Risk Score
Rank #287 of 378 metros #39 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Construction 61.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.1 Finance and Insurance 72.3 Administrative and Support Services 81.1

Retail Trade in Other Illinois Metros

Champaign-Urbana 24.9 #3/378 Springfield 40.0 #50/378 Peoria 42.4 #60/378 Decatur 43.1 #71/378 Kankakee 49.5 #129/378 Bloomington 53.4 #179/378 Rockford 60.5 #259/378

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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (88.9) 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

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.