NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Charlottesville, VA

Metro Market Score 59.8 (Challenging), ranked #250 of 378 metros. 668 establishments, 9,837 jobs.

Metro Market Score 59.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Charlottesville's retail trade sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 19.1). That contraction, combined with a 59.8 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

5.3

LQ: 0.86

Rank #20 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

65.1

$39,417 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 19.1

Employment growth index

Rank #307 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

89.6

YoY wage change index

668 Retail Trade Firms in Charlottesville

668

Establishments

-7.0% YoY

9,837

Total Employment

-2.1% YoY

$39,417

Average Annual Wage

+5.4% YoY

0.86

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Virginia

#8 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Virginia state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+7.4

worse than median (52.4)

Charlottesville vs Virginia Statewide

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

Measure	Charlottesville	VA Statewide
Overall Score	59.8 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#250 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 Charlottesville

Construction 52.9 Finance and Insurance 57.0 Information 57.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 57.3 Accommodation and Food Services 66.9 Other Services 68.6

Retail Trade in Other Virginia Metros

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford 21.5 #1/378 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

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charlottesville's 59.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Evansville, IN 59.8 #249/378 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 60.0 #251/378 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA 60.0 #252/378 Lancaster, PA 59.6 #248/378 Amarillo, TX 59.6 #247/378 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 59.5 #246/378 Urban Honolulu, HI 60.1 #253/378 Binghamton, NY 60.2 #254/378 Fort Smith, AR 60.2 #255/378 Winston-Salem, NC 60.3 #256/378

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 Charlottesville's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (81.0) 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 Charlottesville, VA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment