NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Jackson, TN

Metro Market Score 40.4 (Moderate), ranked #52 of 378 metros. 743 establishments, 9,602 jobs.

Metro Market Score 40.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

📈Rapid Growth⚡Rising Wages

Employment in Jackson's retail trade sector grew faster than most metros last year, pushing its growth trend index to 99.2. Combined with a 40.4 market score, this metro sits in the top quartile for overall conditions.

Industry Concentration

52.4

LQ: 1.15

Rank #198 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

50.3

$37,599 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 99.2

Employment growth index

Rank #4 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

72.5

YoY wage change index

743 Retail Trade Firms in Jackson

743

Establishments

+32.4% YoY

9,602

Total Employment

+27.0% YoY

$37,599

Average Annual Wage

+2.1% YoY

1.15

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Tennessee

#2 of 9

retail trade metros in state

Tennessee state rank

#22 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-8.2

better than median (48.6)

Jackson vs Tennessee Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Tennessee overall. The state ranks #22/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Jackson	TN Statewide
Overall Score	40.4 Moderate	42.8 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#52 of 378 metros	#22 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 Jackson

Finance and Insurance 16.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 27.7

Retail Trade in Other Tennessee Metros

Chattanooga 38.0 #35/378 Kingsport-Bristol 43.3 #74/378 Cleveland 47.2 #102/378 Clarksville 48.6 #116/378 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin 50.3 #145/378 Johnson City 51.1 #154/378 Morristown 58.4 #236/378 Knoxville 63.7 #297/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Jackson's 40.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 40.3 #51/378 Springfield, IL 40.0 #50/378 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH 40.9 #53/378 Bloomington, IN 39.6 #49/378 Canton-Massillon, OH 39.6 #48/378 St. Joseph, MO 41.3 #54/378 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 39.2 #47/378 Appleton, WI 39.0 #46/378 Gainesville, GA 39.0 #45/378 Lake Charles, LA 39.0 #44/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Tennessee

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

Virginia 41.6 #17/51 North Carolina 43.4 #25/51 Kentucky 46.4 #36/51 Alabama 46.4 #36/51 Georgia 47.5 #38/51 Missouri 50.6 #42/51 Arkansas 51.8 #44/51 Mississippi 59.2 #51/51

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 Jackson's retail trade sector, the wage pressure component (72.5) 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 Jackson, TN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment