NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Bloomington, IN

Metro Market Score 39.6 (Moderate), ranked #49 of 378 metros. 443 establishments, 6,638 jobs.

Metro Market Score 39.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

⚡Rising Wages

At #49 of 378 metros, Bloomington's retail trade sector scores 39.6 on the market index. Concentration (8.5), wage levels (9.0), and growth (31.2) all track close to the median. Local factors like lease costs and client access will matter more than macro signals.

Industry Concentration

8.5

LQ: 0.92

Rank #32 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

9.0

$33,513 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 31.2

Employment growth index

Rank #261 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

73.1

YoY wage change index

443 Retail Trade Firms in Bloomington

443

Establishments

-1.1% YoY

6,638

Total Employment

-1.3% YoY

$33,513

Average Annual Wage

+2.2% YoY

0.92

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Indiana

#2 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Indiana state rank

#10 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-16.0

better than median (55.6)

Bloomington vs Indiana Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Indiana overall. The state ranks #10/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Bloomington	IN Statewide
Overall Score	39.6 Moderate	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#49 of 378 metros	#10 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 Bloomington

Finance and Insurance 30.9 Construction 37.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 46.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 46.9 Accommodation and Food Services 59.9

Retail Trade in Other Indiana Metros

Columbus 24.9 #4/378 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood 45.2 #84/378 Elkhart-Goshen 48.1 #111/378 Kokomo 48.8 #118/378 Michigan City-La Porte 55.6 #203/378 Muncie 56.8 #221/378 Terre Haute 57.5 #225/378 Fort Wayne 58.3 #232/378 Evansville 59.8 #249/378 South Bend-Mishawaka 60.4 #258/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Bloomington's 39.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Canton-Massillon, OH 39.6 #48/378 Springfield, IL 40.0 #50/378 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 39.2 #47/378 Appleton, WI 39.0 #46/378 Gainesville, GA 39.0 #45/378 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 40.3 #51/378 Lake Charles, LA 39.0 #44/378 Napa, CA 38.8 #43/378 Jackson, TN 40.4 #52/378 Reading, PA 38.7 #42/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Indiana

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

Ohio 39.2 #8/51 Michigan 40.5 #15/51 Kentucky 46.4 #36/51 Illinois 48.1 #39/51

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 Bloomington's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (68.8) 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 Bloomington, IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment