NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Jackson, MI

Metro Market Score 67.4 (Difficult), ranked #324 of 378 metros. 397 establishments, 6,349 jobs.

Metro Market Score 67.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

Jackson's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 17.2). That contraction, combined with a 67.4 market score, puts this metro in the bottom quartile for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

50.0

LQ: 1.14

Rank #189 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

68.0

$39,753 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 17.2

Employment growth index

Rank #314 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

65.3

YoY wage change index

397 Retail Trade Firms in Jackson

397

Establishments

-8.9% YoY

6,349

Total Employment

-2.3% YoY

$39,753

Average Annual Wage

+0.7% YoY

1.14

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Michigan

#14 of 15

retail trade metros in state

Michigan state rank

#15 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+8.9

worse than median (58.5)

Jackson vs Michigan Statewide

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

Measure	Jackson	MI Statewide
Overall Score	67.4 Difficult	40.5 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#324 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 Jackson

Information 26.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 27.4 Construction 36.9 Accommodation and Food Services 39.0 Finance and Insurance 42.4 Healthcare and Social Assistance 56.1 Other Services 59.2 Administrative and Support Services 60.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 60.5

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 Jackson's 67.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Burlington-South Burlington, VT 67.3 #323/378 Grand Junction, CO 67.2 #322/378 Springfield, MA 67.8 #325/378 Yakima, WA 67.8 #326/378 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 67.0 #321/378 Cape Girardeau, MO 66.9 #320/378 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 66.7 #319/378 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 66.6 #318/378 Warner Robins, GA 66.4 #317/378 Utica-Rome, NY 66.3 #316/378

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 Jackson's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (82.8) 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 Jackson, MI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment