NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Abilene, TX

Metro Market Score 72.9 (Difficult), ranked #355 of 378 metros. 592 establishments, 9,222 jobs.

Metro Market Score 72.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Wage costs in Abilene's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 80.7 and rising pressure at 67.4. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

72.0

LQ: 1.24

Rank #272 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

80.7

$41,591 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 29.1

Employment growth index

Rank #269 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

67.4

YoY wage change index

592 Retail Trade Firms in Abilene

592

Establishments

+0.0% YoY

9,222

Total Employment

-1.4% YoY

$41,591

Average Annual Wage

+1.1% YoY

1.24

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#23 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+22.5

worse than median (50.5)

Abilene vs Texas Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Texas overall. The state ranks #17/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Abilene	TX Statewide
Overall Score	72.9 Difficult	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#355 of 378 metros	#17 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 Abilene

Accommodation and Food Services 41.6 Finance and Insurance 42.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 42.9 Information 46.4 Other Services 49.8 Construction 50.3 Administrative and Support Services 67.7

Retail Trade in Other Texas Metros

Laredo 34.6 #22/378 Brownsville-Harlingen 37.2 #33/378 Longview 42.7 #66/378 Midland 43.1 #70/378 Waco 43.5 #75/378 Eagle Pass 45.7 #88/378 College Station-Bryan 46.7 #96/378 Corpus Christi 47.9 #108/378 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 48.7 #117/378 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos 48.8 #119/378

+ 14 more metros. View all in Texas →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Abilene's 72.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Carson City, NV 72.9 #354/378 Asheville, NC 72.8 #353/378 Dothan, AL 72.8 #352/378 Victoria, TX 73.0 #356/378 Anchorage, AK 72.7 #351/378 Tyler, TX 73.4 #357/378 Vallejo, CA 72.3 #350/378 Hattiesburg, MS 73.6 #358/378 Ocala, FL 73.6 #359/378 Grants Pass, OR 71.9 #349/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Texas

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

New Mexico 39.9 #11/51 Oklahoma 46.3 #35/51 Arkansas 51.8 #44/51 Louisiana 52.3 #46/51

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 Abilene's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (70.9) 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 Abilene, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment