NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Syracuse, NY

Metro Market Score 57.9 (Challenging), ranked #230 of 378 metros. 1,962 establishments, 31,701 jobs.

Metro Market Score 57.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Syracuse stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 73.8 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 74.1 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

32.3

LQ: 1.06

Rank #122 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

73.8

$40,563 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 45.0

Employment growth index

Rank #209 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.1

YoY wage change index

1,962 Retail Trade Firms in Syracuse

1,962

Establishments

-3.6% YoY

31,701

Total Employment

-0.5% YoY

$40,563

Average Annual Wage

+2.4% YoY

1.06

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within New York

#4 of 13

retail trade metros in state

New York state rank

#49 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-6.1

better than median (63.9)

Syracuse 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	Syracuse	NY Statewide
Overall Score	57.9 Challenging	57.2 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#230 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 Syracuse

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 43.9 Other Services 53.0 Accommodation and Food Services 57.6 Information 57.8 Administrative and Support Services 57.8 Construction 58.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 61.4 Finance and Insurance 68.7

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 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 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 Syracuse's 57.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 57.8 #229/378 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL 57.7 #228/378 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 57.6 #227/378 Lynchburg, VA 57.5 #226/378 Terre Haute, IN 57.5 #225/378 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 58.2 #231/378 Mankato, MN 57.4 #224/378 Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378

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 Syracuse's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (73.8) 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 Syracuse, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment