NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Metro Market Score 54.0 (Challenging), ranked #187 of 378 metros. 21,436 establishments, 388,511 jobs.

Metro Market Score 54.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Wage costs in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington's retail trade sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 95.8 and rising pressure at 76.2. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

16.9

LQ: 0.97

Rank #64 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.8

$45,973 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 64.8

Employment growth index

Rank #134 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

76.2

YoY wage change index

21,436 Retail Trade Firms in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

21,436

Establishments

-1.1% YoY

388,511

Total Employment

+0.2% YoY

$45,973

Average Annual Wage

+2.8% YoY

0.97

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Texas

#17 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+3.5

worse than median (50.5)

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington	TX Statewide
Overall Score	54.0 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#187 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

Healthcare and Social Assistance 54.3 Construction 56.4 Other Services 57.5 Accommodation and Food Services 60.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.5 Finance and Insurance 64.7 Information 69.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 75.3

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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington's 54.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 54.0 #188/378 Harrisonburg, VA 53.9 #186/378 St. Cloud, MN 54.1 #189/378 Colorado Springs, CO 54.1 #190/378 Beckley, WV 54.2 #191/378 El Paso, TX 53.7 #185/378 Salinas, CA 53.7 #184/378 Green Bay, WI 53.7 #183/378 Helena, MT 54.2 #192/378 Athens-Clarke County, GA 54.2 #193/378

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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.8) 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment