NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN

Metro Market Score 60.4 (Difficult), ranked #258 of 378 metros. 947 establishments, 14,108 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

South Bend-Mishawaka's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 10.3). That contraction, combined with a 60.4 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

36.8

LQ: 1.08

Rank #139 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

38.4

$36,432 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 10.3

Employment growth index

Rank #340 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

73.6

YoY wage change index

947 Retail Trade Firms in South Bend-Mishawaka

947

Establishments

-1.6% YoY

14,108

Total Employment

-3.1% YoY

$36,432

Average Annual Wage

+2.3% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Indiana

#11 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Indiana state rank

#10 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+4.8

worse than median (55.6)

South Bend-Mishawaka vs Indiana Statewide

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

Measure	South Bend-Mishawaka	IN Statewide
Overall Score	60.4 Difficult	39.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#258 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 South Bend-Mishawaka

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 38.7 Information 41.5 Administrative and Support Services 47.0 Finance and Insurance 47.5 Construction 48.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 50.1 Other Services 53.8 Accommodation and Food Services 59.1

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 Fort Wayne 58.3 #232/378 Evansville 59.8 #249/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of South Bend-Mishawaka's 60.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 60.4 #257/378 Rockford, IL 60.5 #259/378 Winston-Salem, NC 60.3 #256/378 Tucson, AZ 60.5 #260/378 Albany, OR 60.5 #261/378 Fort Smith, AR 60.2 #255/378 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 60.6 #262/378 Binghamton, NY 60.2 #254/378 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 60.7 #263/378 Urban Honolulu, HI 60.1 #253/378

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 South Bend-Mishawaka's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (89.7) 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment