NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Louisville-Jefferson County, KY

Metro Market Score 47.4 (Moderate), ranked #103 of 378 metros. 4,732 establishments, 65,327 jobs.

Metro Market Score 47.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Employment in Louisville-Jefferson County's retail trade sector grew faster than most metros last year, pushing its growth trend index to 91.0. Combined with a 47.4 market score, this metro sits in the upper half for overall conditions.

Industry Concentration

15.6

LQ: 0.96

Rank #59 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

83.6

$42,234 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 91.0

Employment growth index

Rank #35 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

99.5

YoY wage change index

4,732 Retail Trade Firms in Louisville-Jefferson County

4,732

Establishments

+5.3% YoY

65,327

Total Employment

+2.8% YoY

$42,234

Average Annual Wage

+7.3% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Kentucky

#3 of 6

retail trade metros in state

Kentucky state rank

#36 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-2.1

better than median (49.5)

Louisville-Jefferson County vs Kentucky Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Kentucky overall. The state ranks #36/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Louisville-Jefferson County	KY Statewide
Overall Score	47.4 Moderate	46.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#103 of 378 metros	#36 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 Louisville-Jefferson County

Construction 39.1 Other Services 41.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.6 Finance and Insurance 68.2

Retail Trade in Other Kentucky Metros

Bowling Green 38.3 #38/378 Lexington-Fayette 42.8 #68/378 Paducah 49.5 #128/378 Owensboro 56.8 #219/378 Elizabethtown 64.0 #300/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Louisville-Jefferson County's 47.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Jonesboro, AR 47.4 #104/378 St. Louis, MO 47.5 #105/378 Cleveland, TN 47.2 #102/378 Grand Forks, ND 47.2 #101/378 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 47.1 #100/378 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 47.7 #106/378 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 47.0 #99/378 Columbus, OH 46.9 #98/378 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 47.9 #107/378 Corpus Christi, TX 47.9 #108/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Kentucky

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

Ohio 39.2 #8/51 Indiana 39.8 #10/51 Virginia 41.6 #17/51 Tennessee 42.8 #22/51 Illinois 48.1 #39/51 Missouri 50.6 #42/51 West Virginia 52.8 #47/51

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 Louisville-Jefferson County's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (83.6) 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 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment