NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Metro Market Score 48.8 (Challenging), ranked #119 of 378 metros. 6,360 establishments, 117,542 jobs.

Metro Market Score 48.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos ranks in the upper half for retail trade market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 48.8, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

10.6

LQ: 0.93

Rank #40 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

97.9

$48,858 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 78.0

Employment growth index

Rank #84 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

75.7

YoY wage change index

6,360 Retail Trade Firms in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

6,360

Establishments

-0.1% YoY

117,542

Total Employment

+1.0% YoY

$48,858

Average Annual Wage

+2.7% YoY

0.93

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Texas

#10 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-1.6

better than median (50.5)

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos	TX Statewide
Overall Score	48.8 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#119 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

Healthcare and Social Assistance 39.0 Construction 54.9 Finance and Insurance 58.0 Other Services 59.5 Accommodation and Food Services 62.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 70.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 73.2 Information 77.2

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 Lubbock 49.6 #132/378

+ 14 more metros. View all in Texas →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos's 48.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Kansas City, MO 48.9 #120/378 Kokomo, IN 48.8 #118/378 State College, PA 48.9 #121/378 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 48.9 #122/378 Duluth, MN 48.9 #123/378 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 48.7 #117/378 Williamsport, PA 49.0 #124/378 Clarksville, TN 48.6 #116/378 Wichita, KS 48.5 #115/378 Springfield, OH 48.5 #114/378

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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (97.9) 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment