NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Wichita, KS

Metro Market Score 48.5 (Challenging), ranked #115 of 378 metros. 1,752 establishments, 31,114 jobs.

Metro Market Score 48.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Retail Trade conditions in Wichita are mixed. The 48.5 market score puts it at #115 of 378, with no metric pulling sharply in either direction. Wages, growth, and competition are all within a normal range for this industry.

Industry Concentration

25.1

LQ: 1.02

Rank #95 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

31.2

$35,857 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 30.9

Employment growth index

Rank #262 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

68.4

YoY wage change index

1,752 Retail Trade Firms in Wichita

1,752

Establishments

-1.3% YoY

31,114

Total Employment

-1.4% YoY

$35,857

Average Annual Wage

+1.3% YoY

1.02

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Kansas

#4 of 4

retail trade metros in state

Kansas state rank

#14 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+6.3

worse than median (42.2)

Wichita vs Kansas Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Kansas overall. The state ranks #14/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Wichita	KS Statewide
Overall Score	48.5 Challenging	40.4 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#115 of 378 metros	#14 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 Wichita

Finance and Insurance 38.1 Information 39.3 Other Services 46.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 52.5 Construction 54.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 54.7

Retail Trade in Other Kansas Metros

Manhattan 26.3 #6/378 Topeka 35.1 #26/378 Lawrence 42.2 #59/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Wichita's 48.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Springfield, OH 48.5 #114/378 Clarksville, TN 48.6 #116/378 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 48.7 #117/378 Lima, OH 48.2 #113/378 Kokomo, IN 48.8 #118/378 Springfield, MO 48.1 #112/378 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 48.8 #119/378 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 48.1 #111/378 Kansas City, MO 48.9 #120/378 Jacksonville, FL 48.1 #110/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Kansas

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

Nebraska 35.9 #2/51 Colorado 42.9 #23/51 Oklahoma 46.3 #35/51 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 Wichita's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (69.0) 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 Wichita, KS MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment