NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Grand Island, NE

Metro Market Score 65.5 (Difficult), ranked #311 of 378 metros. 313 establishments, 4,802 jobs.

Metro Market Score 65.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Grand Island's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 4.0). That contraction, combined with a 65.5 market score, puts this metro in the bottom quartile for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

63.0

LQ: 1.20

Rank #238 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

25.1

$35,318 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 4.0

Employment growth index

Rank #364 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

73.6

YoY wage change index

313 Retail Trade Firms in Grand Island

313

Establishments

-14.5% YoY

4,802

Total Employment

-9.0% YoY

$35,318

Average Annual Wage

+2.3% YoY

1.20

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Nebraska

#3 of 3

retail trade metros in state

Nebraska state rank

#2 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+12.8

worse than median (52.8)

Grand Island vs Nebraska Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Nebraska overall. The state ranks #2/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Grand Island	NE Statewide
Overall Score	65.5 Difficult	35.9 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#311 of 378 metros	#2 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 Grand Island

Information 36.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 42.3 Other Services 49.6 Finance and Insurance 62.9

Retail Trade in Other Nebraska Metros

Omaha 51.0 #152/378 Lincoln 52.8 #172/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Grand Island's 65.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT 65.3 #310/378 Killeen-Temple, TX 65.8 #312/378 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 66.0 #313/378 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 66.1 #314/378 Manchester-Nashua, NH 66.2 #315/378 St. George, UT 64.8 #309/378 Utica-Rome, NY 66.3 #316/378 Warner Robins, GA 66.4 #317/378 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 64.7 #308/378 Flint, MI 64.6 #307/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Nebraska

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

South Dakota 38.9 #7/51 Kansas 40.4 #14/51 Iowa 40.8 #16/51 Colorado 42.9 #23/51 Wyoming 44.9 #33/51 Missouri 50.6 #42/51

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 Grand Island's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (96.0) 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 Grand Island, NE MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment