NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA

Metro Market Score 56.0 (Challenging), ranked #209 of 378 metros. 14,518 establishments, 233,768 jobs.

Metro Market Score 56.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market

Wage costs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 97.1 and rising pressure at 66.3. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

4.8

LQ: 0.86

Rank #18 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

97.1

$47,595 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 42.3

Employment growth index

Rank #219 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

66.3

YoY wage change index

14,518 Retail Trade Firms in Boston-Cambridge-Newton

14,518

Establishments

-2.4% YoY

233,768

Total Employment

-0.6% YoY

$47,595

Average Annual Wage

+0.9% YoY

0.86

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#2 of 6

retail trade metros in state

Massachusetts state rank

#4 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-18.0

better than median (74.0)

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Massachusetts Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Massachusetts overall. The state ranks #4/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boston-Cambridge-Newton	MA Statewide
Overall Score	56.0 Challenging	37.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#209 of 378 metros	#4 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton

Accommodation and Food Services 54.2 Construction 63.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 66.6 Other Services 67.7 Administrative and Support Services 69.2 Healthcare and Social Assistance 70.3 Information 72.6 Finance and Insurance 79.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 80.3

Retail Trade in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 50.5 #148/378 Springfield 67.8 #325/378 Worcester 74.0 #360/378 Pittsfield 77.0 #370/378 Barnstable Town 83.1 #378/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boston-Cambridge-Newton's 56.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Rocky Mount, NC 56.1 #210/378 Lawton, OK 56.0 #208/378 Merced, CA 56.2 #211/378 Weirton-Steubenville, WV 55.8 #207/378 Janesville-Beloit, WI 55.8 #206/378 Greensboro-High Point, NC 56.3 #212/378 Port St. Lucie, FL 55.7 #205/378 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 56.4 #213/378 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 56.4 #214/378 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 55.6 #204/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Massachusetts

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

Rhode Island 42.3 #21/51 Connecticut 44.7 #31/51 New Hampshire 48.7 #40/51 Vermont 52.1 #45/51 New York 57.2 #49/51

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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (97.1) 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment