NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Springfield, MA

Metro Market Score 67.8 (Difficult), ranked #325 of 378 metros. 1,356 establishments, 19,022 jobs.

Metro Market Score 67.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Springfield stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 74.1 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 80.8 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

13.2

LQ: 0.94

Rank #50 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

74.1

$40,582 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 0.8

Employment growth index

Rank #376 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

80.8

YoY wage change index

1,356 Retail Trade Firms in Springfield

1,356

Establishments

-28.4% YoY

19,022

Total Employment

-29.0% YoY

$40,582

Average Annual Wage

+3.7% YoY

0.94

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#3 of 6

retail trade metros in state

Massachusetts state rank

#4 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-6.3

better than median (74.0)

Springfield vs Massachusetts Statewide

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

Measure	Springfield	MA Statewide
Overall Score	67.8 Difficult	37.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#325 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 Springfield

Information 58.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 60.2 Administrative and Support Services 61.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 62.6 Accommodation and Food Services 65.4 Construction 65.7 Healthcare and Social Assistance 71.4 Other Services 73.3 Finance and Insurance 82.0

Retail Trade in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 50.5 #148/378 Boston-Cambridge-Newton 56.0 #209/378 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 Springfield's 67.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Yakima, WA 67.8 #326/378 Jackson, MI 67.4 #324/378 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 67.3 #323/378 Grand Junction, CO 67.2 #322/378 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 67.0 #321/378 Cape Girardeau, MO 66.9 #320/378 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 68.7 #327/378 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 66.7 #319/378 Naples-Marco Island, FL 68.8 #328/378 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 66.6 #318/378

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 Springfield's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (99.2) 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 Springfield, MA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment