NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in El Paso, TX

Metro Market Score 53.7 (Challenging), ranked #185 of 378 metros. 2,164 establishments, 38,722 jobs.

Metro Market Score 53.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

El Paso's retail trade market sits near the national metro median, ranking #185 of 378 with a market score of 53.7. No single metric stands out as an outlier, which means entry conditions depend more on your specific business model than on broad market forces.

Industry Concentration

54.0

LQ: 1.16

Rank #204 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

34.4

$36,130 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 42.9

Employment growth index

Rank #217 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

72.5

YoY wage change index

2,164 Retail Trade Firms in El Paso

2,164

Establishments

+0.5% YoY

38,722

Total Employment

-0.6% YoY

$36,130

Average Annual Wage

+2.1% YoY

1.16

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#16 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+3.3

worse than median (50.5)

El Paso vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	El Paso	TX Statewide
Overall Score	53.7 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#185 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 El Paso

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 23.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 30.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 48.6

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 El Paso's 53.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Salinas, CA 53.7 #184/378 Green Bay, WI 53.7 #183/378 Casper, WY 53.6 #181/378 Albany, GA 53.6 #182/378 El Centro, CA 53.6 #180/378 Harrisonburg, VA 53.9 #186/378 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 54.0 #187/378 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 54.0 #188/378 Bloomington, IL 53.4 #179/378 St. Cloud, MN 54.1 #189/378

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 El Paso's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (57.1) 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 El Paso, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment