NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in College Station-Bryan, TX

Metro Market Score 46.7 (Moderate), ranked #96 of 378 metros. 754 establishments, 12,845 jobs.

Metro Market Score 46.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

⚡Rising Wages

Retail Trade conditions in College Station-Bryan are mixed. The 46.7 market score puts it at #96 of 378, with no metric pulling sharply in either direction. Wages, growth, and competition are all within a normal range for this industry.

Industry Concentration

15.1

LQ: 0.96

Rank #57 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

40.7

$36,685 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 39.4

Employment growth index

Rank #230 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

73.1

YoY wage change index

754 Retail Trade Firms in College Station-Bryan

754

Establishments

+0.0% YoY

12,845

Total Employment

-0.8% YoY

$36,685

Average Annual Wage

+2.2% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Texas

#7 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-3.7

better than median (50.5)

College Station-Bryan vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	College Station-Bryan	TX Statewide
Overall Score	46.7 Moderate	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#96 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 College Station-Bryan

Construction 34.2 Finance and Insurance 37.7 Other Services 39.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.0 Accommodation and Food Services 51.4 Administrative and Support Services 51.9 Information 54.4

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 Corpus Christi 47.9 #108/378 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 48.7 #117/378 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos 48.8 #119/378 Lubbock 49.6 #132/378

+ 14 more metros. View all in Texas →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of College Station-Bryan's 46.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA 46.8 #97/378 Columbus, OH 46.9 #98/378 Sioux Falls, SD 46.6 #95/378 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 46.5 #94/378 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 46.5 #93/378 Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC 47.0 #99/378 Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI 47.1 #100/378 Grand Forks, ND 47.2 #101/378 Cleveland, TN 47.2 #102/378 Louisville-Jefferson County, KY 47.4 #103/378

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 College Station-Bryan's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (60.6) 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 College Station-Bryan, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment