NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Metro Market Score 63.5 (Difficult), ranked #293 of 378 metros. 13,804 establishments, 192,675 jobs.

Metro Market Score 63.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 86.5 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 70.0 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

22.2

LQ: 1.01

Rank #84 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

86.5

$42,780 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 25.7

Employment growth index

Rank #282 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.0

YoY wage change index

13,804 Retail Trade Firms in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn

13,804

Establishments

-10.7% YoY

192,675

Total Employment

-1.6% YoY

$42,780

Average Annual Wage

+1.6% YoY

1.01

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Michigan

#11 of 15

retail trade metros in state

Michigan state rank

#15 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+4.9

worse than median (58.5)

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn vs Michigan Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Michigan overall. The state ranks #15/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn	MI Statewide
Overall Score	63.5 Difficult	40.5 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#293 of 378 metros	#15 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn

Accommodation and Food Services 47.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 48.6 Construction 50.0 Finance and Insurance 54.5 Other Services 58.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.4 Information 63.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 79.1

Retail Trade in Other Michigan Metros

Niles 33.4 #15/378 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood 37.1 #32/378 Muskegon-Norton Shores 47.1 #100/378 Midland 50.1 #141/378 Ann Arbor 52.6 #169/378 Lansing-East Lansing 55.0 #197/378 Monroe 55.1 #198/378 Battle Creek 58.5 #238/378 Saginaw 60.8 #265/378 Traverse City 61.3 #268/378

+ 4 more metros. View all in Michigan →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Detroit-Warren-Dearborn's 63.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Fayetteville, NC 63.5 #292/378 Fond du Lac, WI 63.5 #294/378 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 63.5 #291/378 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 63.6 #295/378 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 63.6 #296/378 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 63.3 #290/378 Knoxville, TN 63.7 #297/378 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 63.2 #289/378 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 63.2 #288/378 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 63.1 #287/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Michigan

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

Wisconsin 33.3 #1/51 Ohio 39.2 #8/51 Indiana 39.8 #10/51

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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (74.3) 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment