NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Flint, MI

Metro Market Score 64.6 (Difficult), ranked #307 of 378 metros. 1,160 establishments, 17,957 jobs.

Metro Market Score 64.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Flint stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 72.8 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 85.5 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

86.0

LQ: 1.34

Rank #325 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

72.8

$40,450 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 74.1

Employment growth index

Rank #99 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

85.5

YoY wage change index

1,160 Retail Trade Firms in Flint

1,160

Establishments

-7.9% YoY

17,957

Total Employment

+0.7% YoY

$40,450

Average Annual Wage

+4.6% YoY

1.34

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Michigan

#12 of 15

retail trade metros in state

Michigan state rank

#15 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+6.0

worse than median (58.5)

Flint vs Michigan Statewide

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

Measure	Flint	MI Statewide
Overall Score	64.6 Difficult	40.5 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#307 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 Flint

Information 31.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 40.7 Construction 47.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 51.5 Accommodation and Food Services 51.5 Administrative and Support Services 51.9 Finance and Insurance 55.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 60.8 Other Services 65.9

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 Flint's 64.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Punta Gorda, FL 64.5 #306/378 Kingston, NY 64.4 #304/378 Flagstaff, AZ 64.4 #305/378 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 64.7 #308/378 St. George, UT 64.8 #309/378 Billings, MT 64.3 #303/378 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 64.1 #302/378 Modesto, CA 64.0 #301/378 Elizabethtown, KY 64.0 #300/378 Elmira, NY 63.9 #299/378

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 Flint's retail trade sector, the industry concentration component (86.0) 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 Flint, MI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment