NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Salt Lake City-Murray, UT

Metro Market Score 62.5 (Difficult), ranked #279 of 378 metros. 4,522 establishments, 75,044 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Salt Lake City-Murray stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 98.4 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 80.8 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

10.1

LQ: 0.92

Rank #38 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

98.4

$49,293 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 36.0

Employment growth index

Rank #243 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

80.8

YoY wage change index

4,522 Retail Trade Firms in Salt Lake City-Murray

4,522

Establishments

+1.5% YoY

75,044

Total Employment

-1.0% YoY

$49,293

Average Annual Wage

+3.7% YoY

0.92

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Utah

#1 of 5

retail trade metros in state

Utah state rank

#13 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-6.8

better than median (69.3)

Salt Lake City-Murray vs Utah Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Utah overall. The state ranks #13/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Salt Lake City-Murray	UT Statewide
Overall Score	62.5 Difficult	40.3 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#279 of 378 metros	#13 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 Salt Lake City-Murray

Healthcare and Social Assistance 41.2 Accommodation and Food Services 44.2 Other Services 52.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 56.7 Construction 61.4 Finance and Insurance 61.8 Information 67.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 69.4 Administrative and Support Services 72.8

Retail Trade in Other Utah Metros

St. George 64.8 #309/378 Provo-Orem-Lehi 69.3 #331/378 Logan 70.1 #340/378 Ogden 74.6 #366/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Salt Lake City-Murray's 62.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Minot, ND 62.5 #280/378 Rochester, NY 62.6 #281/378 Wichita Falls, TX 62.8 #282/378 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 62.2 #278/378 Vineland, NJ 62.1 #277/378 Greenville, NC 62.9 #283/378 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 62.9 #284/378 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 62.9 #285/378 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 62.9 #286/378 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 61.9 #276/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Utah

State-level entry risk for retail trade in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Nevada 37.0 #3/51 New Mexico 39.9 #11/51 Idaho 40.1 #12/51 Colorado 42.9 #23/51 Arizona 44.9 #32/51 Wyoming 44.9 #33/51

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 Salt Lake City-Murray's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (98.4) 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 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment