NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Columbus, IN

Metro Market Score 24.9 (Favorable), ranked #4 of 378 metros. 307 establishments, 4,830 jobs.

Metro Market Score 24.9

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

Columbus ranks in the top 10% for retail trade market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 24.9, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

15.3

LQ: 0.96

Rank #58 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

4.0

$32,589 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 75.1

Employment growth index

Rank #95 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

63.2

YoY wage change index

307 Retail Trade Firms in Columbus

307

Establishments

+3.0% YoY

4,830

Total Employment

+0.8% YoY

$32,589

Average Annual Wage

+0.3% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Indiana

#1 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Indiana state rank

#10 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-30.7

better than median (55.6)

Columbus vs Indiana Statewide

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

Measure	Columbus	IN Statewide
Overall Score	24.9 Favorable	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#4 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 Columbus

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 12.6 Other Services 24.5 Information 25.2 Finance and Insurance 30.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 32.0 Construction 40.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 53.0 Accommodation and Food Services 53.8 Administrative and Support Services 58.0

Retail Trade in Other Indiana Metros

Bloomington 39.6 #49/378 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 Columbus's 24.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Champaign-Urbana, IL 24.9 #3/378 Gainesville, FL 24.8 #2/378 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 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 Columbus's retail trade sector, the wage pressure component (63.2) 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 Columbus, IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment