NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Fort Wayne, IN

Metro Market Score 58.3 (Challenging), ranked #232 of 378 metros. 1,364 establishments, 23,969 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.3

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Fort Wayne are tougher than average. The 58.3 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, mixed growth signals, and moderate competition. Rank: #232 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

35.7

LQ: 1.08

Rank #135 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

69.0

$39,847 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 41.0

Employment growth index

Rank #224 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

72.0

YoY wage change index

1,364 Retail Trade Firms in Fort Wayne

1,364

Establishments

+0.5% YoY

23,969

Total Employment

-0.7% YoY

$39,847

Average Annual Wage

+2.0% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Indiana

#9 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Indiana state rank

#10 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+2.7

worse than median (55.6)

Fort Wayne vs Indiana Statewide

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

Measure	Fort Wayne	IN Statewide
Overall Score	58.3 Challenging	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#232 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 Fort Wayne

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 34.1 Other Services 49.5 Information 49.6 Construction 51.4 Finance and Insurance 61.4

Retail Trade in Other Indiana Metros

Columbus 24.9 #4/378 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 Evansville 59.8 #249/378 South Bend-Mishawaka 60.4 #258/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Fort Wayne's 58.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 58.2 #231/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 58.5 #239/378 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 58.6 #240/378 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 58.7 #241/378

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 Fort Wayne's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (59.0) 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 Fort Wayne, IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment