NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Waco, TX

Metro Market Score 43.5 (Moderate), ranked #75 of 378 metros. 907 establishments, 14,123 jobs.

Metro Market Score 43.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

📈Rapid Growth

Waco ranks in the top quartile for retail trade market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 43.5, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

39.4

LQ: 1.09

Rank #149 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

63.0

$38,980 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 87.0

Employment growth index

Rank #50 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

70.0

YoY wage change index

907 Retail Trade Firms in Waco

907

Establishments

+5.3% YoY

14,123

Total Employment

+1.9% YoY

$38,980

Average Annual Wage

+1.6% YoY

1.09

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#5 of 25

retail trade metros in state

Texas state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-7.0

better than median (50.5)

Waco vs Texas Statewide

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

Measure	Waco	TX Statewide
Overall Score	43.5 Moderate	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#75 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 Waco

Construction 39.8

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 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 Lubbock 49.6 #132/378

+ 14 more metros. View all in Texas →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Waco's 43.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Kingsport-Bristol, TN 43.3 #74/378 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT 43.7 #76/378 Augusta-Richmond County, GA 43.2 #73/378 Decatur, IL 43.1 #71/378 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 43.1 #72/378 Midland, TX 43.1 #70/378 Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 42.9 #69/378 Lexington-Fayette, KY 42.8 #68/378 Rome, GA 42.8 #67/378 Baton Rouge, LA 44.2 #77/378

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 Waco's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (63.0) 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 Waco, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment