NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Cincinnati, OH

Metro Market Score 49.8 (Challenging), ranked #133 of 378 metros. 6,659 establishments, 100,139 jobs.

Metro Market Score 49.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Cincinnati's retail trade market sits near the national metro median, ranking #133 of 378 with a market score of 49.8. No single metric stands out as an outlier, which means entry conditions depend more on your specific business model than on broad market forces.

Industry Concentration

8.7

LQ: 0.92

Rank #33 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

61.4

$38,842 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 39.1

Employment growth index

Rank #231 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.0

YoY wage change index

6,659 Retail Trade Firms in Cincinnati

6,659

Establishments

+1.7% YoY

100,139

Total Employment

-0.8% YoY

$38,842

Average Annual Wage

+1.6% YoY

0.92

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Ohio

#8 of 12

retail trade metros in state

Ohio state rank

#8 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+1.3

worse than median (48.5)

Cincinnati vs Ohio Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Ohio overall. The state ranks #8/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Cincinnati	OH Statewide
Overall Score	49.8 Challenging	39.2 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#133 of 378 metros	#8 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 Cincinnati

Industry data for other sectors in this metro is not available in the current BLS release. This can happen when metro area boundaries are redesignated.

Retail Trade in Other Ohio Metros

Cleveland 38.7 #41/378 Canton-Massillon 39.6 #48/378 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek 40.9 #53/378 Toledo 45.2 #85/378 Columbus 46.9 #98/378 Lima 48.2 #113/378 Springfield 48.5 #114/378 Sandusky 50.6 #150/378 Mansfield 51.6 #158/378 Akron 56.7 #217/378

+ 1 more metros. View all in Ohio →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Cincinnati's 49.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 49.8 #134/378 Odessa, TX 49.8 #135/378 York-Hanover, PA 49.8 #136/378 Montgomery, AL 49.9 #137/378 Lubbock, TX 49.6 #132/378 Yuma, AZ 50.0 #138/378 Bend, OR 50.0 #139/378 Columbia, SC 49.6 #130/378 Homosassa Springs, FL 49.6 #131/378 Kankakee, IL 49.5 #129/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Ohio

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

Pennsylvania 38.1 #6/51 Indiana 39.8 #10/51 Michigan 40.5 #15/51 Kentucky 46.4 #36/51 West Virginia 52.8 #47/51

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 Cincinnati's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (60.9) 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment