NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Rapid City, SD

Metro Market Score 70.8 (Difficult), ranked #343 of 378 metros. 689 establishments, 9,815 jobs.

Metro Market Score 70.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Rapid City are tougher than average. The 70.8 market score reflects a combination of moderate wages, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #343 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

86.2

LQ: 1.34

Rank #326 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

54.0

$38,078 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 30.4

Employment growth index

Rank #264 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

74.6

YoY wage change index

689 Retail Trade Firms in Rapid City

689

Establishments

-0.4% YoY

9,815

Total Employment

-1.4% YoY

$38,078

Average Annual Wage

+2.5% YoY

1.34

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within South Dakota

#2 of 2

retail trade metros in state

South Dakota state rank

#7 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (70.8)

Rapid City vs South Dakota Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to South Dakota overall. The state ranks #7/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Rapid City	SD Statewide
Overall Score	70.8 Difficult	38.9 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#343 of 378 metros	#7 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 Rapid City

Information 45.8 Construction 47.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 48.5 Finance and Insurance 50.7 Other Services 52.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 59.9

Retail Trade in Other South Dakota Metros

Sioux Falls 46.6 #95/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Rapid City's 70.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Santa Fe, NM 70.8 #342/378 Lafayette, LA 71.2 #344/378 Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 71.2 #345/378 New Haven, CT 71.5 #346/378 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 70.2 #341/378 Hot Springs, AR 71.6 #347/378 Logan, UT 70.1 #340/378 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 70.0 #339/378 Bozeman, MT 70.0 #338/378 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 69.9 #337/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering South Dakota

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

Nebraska 35.9 #2/51 Minnesota 39.6 #9/51 Iowa 40.8 #16/51 Wyoming 44.9 #33/51 Montana 45.8 #34/51 North Dakota 49.9 #41/51

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 Rapid City's retail trade sector, the industry concentration component (86.2) 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 Rapid City, SD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment