NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA

Metro Market Score 58.2 (Challenging), ranked #231 of 378 metros. 18,147 establishments, 276,196 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 76.5 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 74.6 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

16.1

LQ: 0.96

Rank #61 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

76.5

$40,851 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 32.8

Employment growth index

Rank #255 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.6

YoY wage change index

18,147 Retail Trade Firms in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

18,147

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

276,196

Total Employment

-1.3% YoY

$40,851

Average Annual Wage

+2.5% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Pennsylvania

#15 of 16

retail trade metros in state

Pennsylvania state rank

#6 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+9.0

worse than median (49.3)

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington vs Pennsylvania Statewide

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

Measure	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	PA Statewide
Overall Score	58.2 Challenging	38.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#231 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

Accommodation and Food Services 47.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 53.2 Other Services 60.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 76.6

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 Harrisburg-Carlisle 46.5 #93/378 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

+ 5 more metros. View all in Pennsylvania →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington's 58.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Fort Wayne, IN 58.3 #232/378 Savannah, GA 58.3 #233/378 Boulder, CO 58.3 #234/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 58.5 #239/378 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 58.6 #240/378 Syracuse, NY 57.9 #230/378

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (67.2) 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment