NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY

Metro Market Score 70.0 (Difficult), ranked #339 of 378 metros. 66,572 establishments, 799,622 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⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in New York-Newark-Jersey City's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 99.2 and rising pressure at 78.8. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

4.2

LQ: 0.85

Rank #16 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

99.2

$50,729 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 5.3

Employment growth index

Rank #359 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

78.8

YoY wage change index

66,572 Retail Trade Firms in New York-Newark-Jersey City

66,572

Establishments

-6.4% YoY

799,622

Total Employment

-5.5% YoY

$50,729

Average Annual Wage

+3.3% YoY

0.85

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New York

#11 of 13

retail trade metros in state

New York state rank

#49 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+6.1

worse than median (63.9)

New York-Newark-Jersey City 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	New York-Newark-Jersey City	NY Statewide
Overall Score	70.0 Difficult	57.2 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#339 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City

Healthcare and Social Assistance 57.5 Accommodation and Food Services 66.4 Administrative and Support Services 72.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 79.1 Other Services 82.0

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 Kingston 64.4 #304/378 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 66.0 #313/378 Utica-Rome 66.3 #316/378

+ 2 more metros. View all in New York →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of New York-Newark-Jersey City's 70.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Bozeman, MT 70.0 #338/378 Logan, UT 70.1 #340/378 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 69.9 #337/378 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 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (94.7) 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment