NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Rochester, NY

Metro Market Score 62.6 (Difficult), ranked #281 of 378 metros. 2,999 establishments, 49,152 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Rochester's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 16.4). That contraction, combined with a 62.6 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

19.3

LQ: 0.99

Rank #73 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

66.9

$39,658 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 16.4

Employment growth index

Rank #317 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

79.8

YoY wage change index

2,999 Retail Trade Firms in Rochester

2,999

Establishments

-5.6% YoY

49,152

Total Employment

-2.4% YoY

$39,658

Average Annual Wage

+3.5% YoY

0.99

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New York

#6 of 13

retail trade metros in state

New York state rank

#49 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-1.3

better than median (63.9)

Rochester 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	Rochester	NY Statewide
Overall Score	62.6 Difficult	57.2 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#281 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 Rochester

Accommodation and Food Services 51.5 Administrative and Support Services 55.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 56.0 Other Services 59.3 Construction 59.5 Information 62.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 68.3 Finance and Insurance 69.3

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 Elmira 63.9 #299/378 Kingston 64.4 #304/378 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 Rochester's 62.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Minot, ND 62.5 #280/378 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 62.5 #279/378 Wichita Falls, TX 62.8 #282/378 Greenville, NC 62.9 #283/378 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 62.9 #284/378 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 62.9 #285/378 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 62.9 #286/378 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 62.2 #278/378 Vineland, NJ 62.1 #277/378 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 63.1 #287/378

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 Rochester's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (83.6) 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 Rochester, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment