NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

Metro Market Score 21.5 (Favorable), ranked #1 of 378 metros. 525 establishments, 7,639 jobs.

Metro Market Score 21.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Favorable

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

📈Rapid Growth✓Favorable Market🌱Emerging Market

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ranks in the top 10% for retail trade market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 21.5, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

26.5

LQ: 1.04

Rank #100 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

8.5

$33,361 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 90.5

Employment growth index

Rank #37 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

49.7

YoY wage change index

525 Retail Trade Firms in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

525

Establishments

+1.0% YoY

7,639

Total Employment

+2.6% YoY

$33,361

Average Annual Wage

-2.3% YoY

1.04

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Virginia

#1 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Virginia state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-30.8

better than median (52.4)

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford vs Virginia Statewide

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

Measure	Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford	VA Statewide
Overall Score	21.5 Favorable	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#1 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

Finance and Insurance 27.5 Other Services 33.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 38.7

Retail Trade in Other Virginia Metros

Staunton-Stuarts Draft 36.9 #30/378 Roanoke 44.9 #82/378 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 46.8 #97/378 Winchester 52.4 #166/378 Harrisonburg 53.9 #186/378 Lynchburg 57.5 #226/378 Charlottesville 59.8 #250/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford's 21.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Gainesville, FL 24.8 #2/378 Champaign-Urbana, IL 24.9 #3/378 Columbus, IN 24.9 #4/378 Las Cruces, NM 26.0 #5/378 Manhattan, KS 26.3 #6/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Virginia

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

Tennessee 42.8 #22/51 North Carolina 43.4 #25/51 Maryland 43.6 #26/51 Kentucky 46.4 #36/51 West Virginia 52.8 #47/51 District of Columbia 58.0 #50/51

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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford's retail trade sector, the wage pressure component (49.7) 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment