NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Kingston, NY

Metro Market Score 64.4 (Difficult), ranked #304 of 378 metros. 668 establishments, 8,073 jobs.

Metro Market Score 64.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Kingston stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 75.1 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 71.0 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

88.6

LQ: 1.36

Rank #335 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

75.1

$40,729 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 69.0

Employment growth index

Rank #118 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

71.0

YoY wage change index

668 Retail Trade Firms in Kingston

668

Establishments

-0.7% YoY

8,073

Total Employment

+0.4% YoY

$40,729

Average Annual Wage

+1.8% YoY

1.36

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within New York

#8 of 13

retail trade metros in state

New York state rank

#49 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+0.5

worse than median (63.9)

Kingston vs New York Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to New York overall. The state ranks #49/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Kingston	NY Statewide
Overall Score	64.4 Difficult	57.2 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#304 of 378 metros	#49 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 Kingston

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 34.3 Finance and Insurance 40.0 Information 40.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 46.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 50.7 Construction 51.5 Other Services 52.0 Accommodation and Food Services 66.7 Administrative and Support Services 67.5

Retail Trade in Other New York Metros

Ithaca 34.3 #19/378 Buffalo-Cheektowaga 42.4 #62/378 Albany-Schenectady-Troy 55.5 #202/378 Syracuse 57.9 #230/378 Binghamton 60.2 #254/378 Rochester 62.6 #281/378 Elmira 63.9 #299/378 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 66.0 #313/378 Utica-Rome 66.3 #316/378 New York-Newark-Jersey City 70.0 #339/378

+ 2 more metros. View all in New York →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Kingston's 64.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Flagstaff, AZ 64.4 #305/378 Punta Gorda, FL 64.5 #306/378 Flint, MI 64.6 #307/378 Billings, MT 64.3 #303/378 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 64.7 #308/378 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 64.1 #302/378 St. George, UT 64.8 #309/378 Modesto, CA 64.0 #301/378 Elizabethtown, KY 64.0 #300/378 Elmira, NY 63.9 #299/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering New York

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

Massachusetts 37.1 #4/51 Pennsylvania 38.1 #6/51 New Jersey 43.7 #27/51 Connecticut 44.7 #31/51 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 Kingston's retail trade sector, the industry concentration component (88.6) 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 Kingston, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment