NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

Metro Market Score 46.5 (Moderate), ranked #93 of 378 metros. 1,799 establishments, 31,026 jobs.

Metro Market Score 46.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

⚡Rising Wages

Retail Trade conditions in Harrisburg-Carlisle are mixed. The 46.5 market score puts it at #93 of 378, with no metric pulling sharply in either direction. Wages, growth, and competition are all within a normal range for this industry.

Industry Concentration

9.0

LQ: 0.92

Rank #34 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

45.5

$37,066 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 39.7

Employment growth index

Rank #229 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.1

YoY wage change index

1,799 Retail Trade Firms in Harrisburg-Carlisle

1,799

Establishments

-1.0% YoY

31,026

Total Employment

-0.8% YoY

$37,066

Average Annual Wage

+2.4% YoY

0.92

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Pennsylvania

#5 of 16

retail trade metros in state

Pennsylvania state rank

#6 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-2.7

better than median (49.3)

Harrisburg-Carlisle vs Pennsylvania Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Pennsylvania overall. The state ranks #6/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Harrisburg-Carlisle	PA Statewide
Overall Score	46.5 Moderate	38.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#93 of 378 metros	#6 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle

Information 44.6 Construction 45.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 52.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 53.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 56.7 Finance and Insurance 67.0 Other Services 73.4

Retail Trade in Other Pennsylvania Metros

Chambersburg 38.4 #40/378 Reading 38.7 #42/378 Pittsburgh 42.5 #63/378 Gettysburg 44.5 #80/378 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre 46.5 #94/378 State College 48.9 #121/378 Williamsport 49.0 #124/378 Erie 49.3 #126/378 York-Hanover 49.8 #136/378 Altoona 51.7 #160/378

+ 5 more metros. View all in Pennsylvania →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Harrisburg-Carlisle's 46.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 46.5 #94/378 Sioux Falls, SD 46.6 #95/378 College Station-Bryan, TX 46.7 #96/378 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA 46.8 #97/378 Columbus, OH 46.9 #98/378 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 46.1 #92/378 Oklahoma City, OK 46.1 #91/378 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 47.0 #99/378 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 47.1 #100/378 Madison, WI 45.9 #90/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Pennsylvania

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

Ohio 39.2 #8/51 Delaware 41.8 #19/51 Maryland 43.6 #26/51 New Jersey 43.7 #27/51 West Virginia 52.8 #47/51 New York 57.2 #49/51

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 Harrisburg-Carlisle's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (60.3) 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment