NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Metro Market Score 48.7 (Challenging), ranked #117 of 378 metros. 19,583 establishments, 315,701 jobs.

Metro Market Score 48.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market🌱Emerging Market

Employment in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands's retail trade sector grew faster than most metros last year, pushing its growth trend index to 68.8. Combined with a 48.7 market score, this metro sits in the upper half for overall conditions.

Industry Concentration

17.5

LQ: 0.97

Rank #66 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

84.4

$42,267 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 68.8

Employment growth index

Rank #119 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

69.4

YoY wage change index

19,583 Retail Trade Firms in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

19,583

Establishments

-0.4% YoY

315,701

Total Employment

+0.4% YoY

$42,267

Average Annual Wage

+1.5% YoY

0.97

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Texas

#9 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-1.7

better than median (50.5)

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands	TX Statewide
Overall Score	48.7 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#117 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

Construction 69.4 Finance and Insurance 75.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 76.2

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 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands's 48.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Kokomo, IN 48.8 #118/378 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 48.8 #119/378 Clarksville, TN 48.6 #116/378 Kansas City, MO 48.9 #120/378 State College, PA 48.9 #121/378 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 48.9 #122/378 Duluth, MN 48.9 #123/378 Wichita, KS 48.5 #115/378 Springfield, OH 48.5 #114/378 Williamsport, PA 49.0 #124/378

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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (84.4) 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment