NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Michigan City-La Porte, IN

Metro Market Score 55.6 (Challenging), ranked #203 of 378 metros. 368 establishments, 4,902 jobs.

Metro Market Score 55.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Michigan City-La Porte's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 17.5). That contraction, combined with a 55.6 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

66.7

LQ: 1.21

Rank #252 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

5.3

$32,797 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 17.5

Employment growth index

Rank #313 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

64.3

YoY wage change index

368 Retail Trade Firms in Michigan City-La Porte

368

Establishments

+0.3% YoY

4,902

Total Employment

-2.3% YoY

$32,797

Average Annual Wage

+0.5% YoY

1.21

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Indiana

#6 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Indiana state rank

#10 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (55.6)

Michigan City-La Porte vs Indiana Statewide

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

Measure	Michigan City-La Porte	IN Statewide
Overall Score	55.6 Challenging	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#203 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 Michigan City-La Porte

Finance and Insurance 29.6 Information 32.3 Other Services 38.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 39.1 Accommodation and Food Services 40.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 46.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 47.4 Administrative and Support Services 51.5 Construction 59.4

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 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 Michigan City-La Porte's 55.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Hanford-Corcoran, CA 55.6 #204/378 Port St. Lucie, FL 55.7 #205/378 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 55.5 #202/378 Janesville-Beloit, WI 55.8 #206/378 Weirton-Steubenville, WV 55.8 #207/378 Farmington, NM 55.3 #201/378 Lawton, OK 56.0 #208/378 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 56.0 #209/378 Albuquerque, NM 55.2 #200/378 Lebanon, PA 55.1 #199/378

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 Michigan City-La Porte's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (82.5) 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 Michigan City-La Porte, IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment