NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Harrisonburg, VA

Metro Market Score 53.9 (Challenging), ranked #186 of 378 metros. 490 establishments, 7,061 jobs.

Metro Market Score 53.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Retail Trade employment in Harrisonburg contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the upper half at 15.3. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

33.9

LQ: 1.07

Rank #128 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

21.4

$34,898 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 15.3

Employment growth index

Rank #321 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

73.6

YoY wage change index

490 Retail Trade Firms in Harrisonburg

490

Establishments

+3.4% YoY

7,061

Total Employment

-2.4% YoY

$34,898

Average Annual Wage

+2.3% YoY

1.07

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Virginia

#6 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Virginia state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+1.5

worse than median (52.4)

Harrisonburg vs Virginia Statewide

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

Measure	Harrisonburg	VA Statewide
Overall Score	53.9 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#186 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 Harrisonburg

Information 35.1 Construction 38.2 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 38.6 Administrative and Support Services 40.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 40.5 Finance and Insurance 41.1 Other Services 45.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 49.1 Accommodation and Food Services 60.1

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 Lynchburg 57.5 #226/378 Charlottesville 59.8 #250/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Harrisonburg's 53.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 54.0 #187/378 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 54.0 #188/378 El Paso, TX 53.7 #185/378 St. Cloud, MN 54.1 #189/378 Salinas, CA 53.7 #184/378 Colorado Springs, CO 54.1 #190/378 Green Bay, WI 53.7 #183/378 Beckley, WV 54.2 #191/378 Helena, MT 54.2 #192/378 Casper, WY 53.6 #181/378

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 Harrisonburg's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (84.7) 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 Harrisonburg, VA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment