NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Joplin, MO

Metro Market Score 37.4 (Moderate), ranked #34 of 378 metros. 695 establishments, 10,641 jobs.

Metro Market Score 37.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

📈Rapid Growth⚡Rising Wages

Joplin ranks in the top 10% for retail trade market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 37.4, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

70.9

LQ: 1.23

Rank #268 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

12.2

$33,798 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 92.3

Employment growth index

Rank #30 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

71.5

YoY wage change index

695 Retail Trade Firms in Joplin

695

Establishments

+6.9% YoY

10,641

Total Employment

+3.1% YoY

$33,798

Average Annual Wage

+1.9% YoY

1.23

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Missouri

#2 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Missouri state rank

#42 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-10.8

better than median (48.1)

Joplin vs Missouri Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Missouri overall. The state ranks #42/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Joplin	MO Statewide
Overall Score	37.4 Moderate	50.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#34 of 378 metros	#42 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 Joplin

Finance and Insurance 17.5 Construction 29.0 Administrative and Support Services 32.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 32.4 Other Services 32.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 34.7 Information 37.7

Retail Trade in Other Missouri Metros

Columbia 32.6 #13/378 St. Joseph 41.3 #54/378 St. Louis 47.5 #105/378 Springfield 48.1 #112/378 Kansas City 48.9 #120/378 Jefferson City 51.7 #159/378 Cape Girardeau 66.9 #320/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Joplin's 37.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 37.2 #33/378 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI 37.1 #32/378 Decatur, AL 37.0 #31/378 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA 36.9 #30/378 Chattanooga, TN 38.0 #35/378 Sheboygan, WI 38.0 #36/378 Tallahassee, FL 38.1 #37/378 Bowling Green, KY 38.3 #38/378 Visalia, CA 38.4 #39/378 Chambersburg, PA 38.4 #40/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Missouri

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

Nebraska 35.9 #2/51 Kansas 40.4 #14/51 Iowa 40.8 #16/51 Tennessee 42.8 #22/51 Oklahoma 46.3 #35/51 Kentucky 46.4 #36/51 Illinois 48.1 #39/51 Arkansas 51.8 #44/51

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 Joplin's retail trade sector, the industry concentration component (70.9) 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 Joplin, MO-KS MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment