NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Manchester-Nashua, NH

Metro Market Score 66.2 (Difficult), ranked #315 of 378 metros. 1,485 establishments, 25,113 jobs.

Metro Market Score 66.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Manchester-Nashua stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 96.6 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 67.9 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

73.5

LQ: 1.25

Rank #278 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

96.6

$46,933 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 66.4

Employment growth index

Rank #128 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

67.9

YoY wage change index

1,485 Retail Trade Firms in Manchester-Nashua

1,485

Establishments

+0.1% YoY

25,113

Total Employment

+0.3% YoY

$46,933

Average Annual Wage

+1.2% YoY

1.25

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within New Hampshire

#1 of 1

retail trade metros in state

New Hampshire state rank

#40 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (66.2)

Manchester-Nashua vs New Hampshire Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to New Hampshire overall. The state ranks #40/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Manchester-Nashua	NH Statewide
Overall Score	66.2 Difficult	48.7 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#315 of 378 metros	#40 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 Manchester-Nashua

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 45.7 Construction 50.7 Accommodation and Food Services 51.8 Other Services 63.7 Healthcare and Social Assistance 64.0 Administrative and Support Services 69.2 Information 70.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 71.4 Finance and Insurance 72.5

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Manchester-Nashua's 66.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 66.1 #314/378 Utica-Rome, NY 66.3 #316/378 Warner Robins, GA 66.4 #317/378 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 66.0 #313/378 Killeen-Temple, TX 65.8 #312/378 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 66.6 #318/378 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 66.7 #319/378 Grand Island, NE 65.5 #311/378 Cape Girardeau, MO 66.9 #320/378 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 67.0 #321/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering New Hampshire

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

Massachusetts 37.1 #4/51 Maine 44.1 #29/51 Vermont 52.1 #45/51

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 Manchester-Nashua's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (96.6) 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 Manchester-Nashua, NH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment