NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in St. Louis, MO

Metro Market Score 47.5 (Moderate), ranked #105 of 378 metros. 8,077 establishments, 130,664 jobs.

Metro Market Score 47.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Few retail trade firms have established themselves in St. Louis yet. The concentration index of 19.6 is well below the metro median, while employment growth is positive (trend: 60.0). That combination points to a market still building out.

Industry Concentration

19.6

LQ: 0.99

Rank #74 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

66.1

$39,529 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 60.0

Employment growth index

Rank #152 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.5

YoY wage change index

8,077 Retail Trade Firms in St. Louis

8,077

Establishments

-1.0% YoY

130,664

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$39,529

Average Annual Wage

+1.7% YoY

0.99

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Missouri

#4 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Missouri state rank

#42 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-0.6

better than median (48.1)

St. Louis vs Missouri Statewide

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

Measure	St. Louis	MO Statewide
Overall Score	47.5 Moderate	50.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#105 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 St. Louis

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.3 Finance and Insurance 74.2

Retail Trade in Other Missouri Metros

Columbia 32.6 #13/378 Joplin 37.4 #34/378 St. Joseph 41.3 #54/378 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 St. Louis's 47.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Jonesboro, AR 47.4 #104/378 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY 47.4 #103/378 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 47.7 #106/378 Cleveland, TN 47.2 #102/378 Grand Forks, ND 47.2 #101/378 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 47.9 #107/378 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 47.1 #100/378 Corpus Christi, TX 47.9 #108/378 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 47.0 #99/378 Greeley, CO 48.0 #109/378

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 St. Louis's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (66.1) 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 St. Louis, MO-IL MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment