NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA

Metro Market Score 60.0 (Difficult), ranked #252 of 378 metros. 1,226 establishments, 20,543 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island are tougher than average. The 60.0 market score reflects a combination of moderate wages, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #252 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

53.7

LQ: 1.16

Rank #203 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

46.8

$37,426 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 31.8

Employment growth index

Rank #259 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

72.0

YoY wage change index

1,226 Retail Trade Firms in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island

1,226

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

20,543

Total Employment

-1.3% YoY

$37,426

Average Annual Wage

+2.0% YoY

1.16

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Iowa

#7 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Iowa state rank

#16 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+14.8

worse than median (45.2)

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island vs Iowa Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Iowa overall. The state ranks #16/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Davenport-Moline-Rock Island	IA Statewide
Overall Score	60.0 Difficult	40.8 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#252 of 378 metros	#16 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island

Information 29.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 33.0 Construction 48.8 Other Services 49.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 52.1 Finance and Insurance 52.8 Accommodation and Food Services 57.3 Administrative and Support Services 68.8

Retail Trade in Other Iowa Metros

Ames 28.5 #7/378 Dubuque 34.4 #20/378 Des Moines-West Des Moines 34.7 #23/378 Iowa City 42.0 #56/378 Cedar Rapids 45.2 #86/378 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 51.3 #155/378 Sioux City 60.7 #264/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Davenport-Moline-Rock Island's 60.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 60.0 #251/378 Urban Honolulu, HI 60.1 #253/378 Binghamton, NY 60.2 #254/378 Charlottesville, VA 59.8 #250/378 Fort Smith, AR 60.2 #255/378 Evansville, IN 59.8 #249/378 Winston-Salem, NC 60.3 #256/378 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 60.4 #257/378 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN 60.4 #258/378 Lancaster, PA 59.6 #248/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Iowa

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

Wisconsin 33.3 #1/51 Nebraska 35.9 #2/51 South Dakota 38.9 #7/51 Minnesota 39.6 #9/51 Illinois 48.1 #39/51 Missouri 50.6 #42/51

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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (68.3) 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment