NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Bozeman, MT

Metro Market Score 70.0 (Difficult), ranked #338 of 378 metros. 643 establishments, 9,402 jobs.

Metro Market Score 70.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Wage costs in Bozeman's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 96.3 and rising pressure at 61.7. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

80.4

LQ: 1.29

Rank #304 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

96.3

$46,590 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 55.0

Employment growth index

Rank #171 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

61.7

YoY wage change index

643 Retail Trade Firms in Bozeman

643

Establishments

+100.0% YoY

9,402

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$46,590

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

1.29

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Montana

#4 of 5

retail trade metros in state

Montana state rank

#34 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+5.7

worse than median (64.3)

Bozeman vs Montana Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Montana overall. The state ranks #34/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Bozeman	MT Statewide
Overall Score	70.0 Difficult	45.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#338 of 378 metros	#34 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 Bozeman

Healthcare and Social Assistance 47.9 Information 49.5 Administrative and Support Services 52.0 Finance and Insurance 54.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 65.3 Construction 69.9 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 70.1 Other Services 74.2 Accommodation and Food Services 77.8

Retail Trade in Other Montana Metros

Helena 54.2 #192/378 Missoula 58.9 #243/378 Billings 64.3 #303/378 Great Falls 78.9 #375/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Bozeman's 70.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 70.0 #339/378 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 69.9 #337/378 Logan, UT 70.1 #340/378 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 70.2 #341/378 Dover, DE 69.8 #336/378 Jacksonville, NC 69.7 #335/378 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 69.7 #334/378 Hammond, LA 69.7 #333/378 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 69.3 #331/378 Longview-Kelso, WA 69.3 #332/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Montana

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

South Dakota 38.9 #7/51 Idaho 40.1 #12/51 Wyoming 44.9 #33/51 North Dakota 49.9 #41/51

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 Bozeman's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (96.3) 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 Bozeman, MT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment