NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR

Metro Market Score 63.6 (Difficult), ranked #296 of 378 metros. 7,227 establishments, 112,988 jobs.

Metro Market Score 63.6

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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 94.4 (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

12.2

LQ: 0.93

Rank #46 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

94.4

$44,866 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 26.2

Employment growth index

Rank #280 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.1

YoY wage change index

7,227 Retail Trade Firms in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

7,227

Establishments

-0.9% YoY

112,988

Total Employment

-1.6% YoY

$44,866

Average Annual Wage

+2.4% YoY

0.93

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Oregon

#5 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Oregon state rank

#24 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (63.6)

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro vs Oregon Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Oregon overall. The state ranks #24/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro	OR Statewide
Overall Score	63.6 Difficult	42.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#296 of 378 metros	#24 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

Accommodation and Food Services 63.9 Construction 67.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.3 Finance and Insurance 69.7 Information 70.7 Other Services 73.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 76.3

Retail Trade in Other Oregon Metros

Bend 50.0 #139/378 Corvallis 52.9 #174/378 Salem 56.8 #220/378 Albany 60.5 #261/378 Grants Pass 71.9 #349/378 Eugene-Springfield 75.4 #367/378 Medford 78.9 #374/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's 63.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 63.6 #295/378 Knoxville, TN 63.7 #297/378 Fayetteville, NC 63.5 #292/378 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 63.5 #293/378 Fond du Lac, WI 63.5 #294/378 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 63.5 #291/378 Macon-Bibb County, GA 63.9 #298/378 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 63.3 #290/378 Elmira, NY 63.9 #299/378 Elizabethtown, KY 64.0 #300/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Oregon

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

Nevada 37.0 #3/51 Idaho 40.1 #12/51 Washington 42.0 #20/51 California 44.0 #28/51

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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (94.4) 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment