NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Amarillo, TX

Metro Market Score 59.6 (Challenging), ranked #247 of 378 metros. 854 establishments, 14,715 jobs.

Metro Market Score 59.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Amarillo are tougher than average. The 59.6 market score reflects a combination of moderate wages, mixed growth signals, and an already crowded field. Rank: #247 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

62.7

LQ: 1.20

Rank #237 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

49.7

$37,560 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 42.1

Employment growth index

Rank #220 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.5

YoY wage change index

854 Retail Trade Firms in Amarillo

854

Establishments

-0.6% YoY

14,715

Total Employment

-0.6% YoY

$37,560

Average Annual Wage

+1.7% YoY

1.20

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#19 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+9.1

worse than median (50.5)

Amarillo vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	Amarillo	TX Statewide
Overall Score	59.6 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#247 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 Amarillo

Industry data for other sectors in this metro is not available in the current BLS release. This can happen when metro area boundaries are redesignated.

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 Amarillo's 59.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lancaster, PA 59.6 #248/378 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 59.5 #246/378 Evansville, IN 59.8 #249/378 Charlottesville, VA 59.8 #250/378 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 59.2 #245/378 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 60.0 #251/378 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA 60.0 #252/378 Urban Honolulu, HI 60.1 #253/378 Binghamton, NY 60.2 #254/378 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 59.0 #244/378

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 Amarillo's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (57.9) 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 Amarillo, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment