NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Winchester, VA

Metro Market Score 52.4 (Challenging), ranked #166 of 378 metros. 532 establishments, 8,517 jobs.

Metro Market Score 52.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

📈Rapid Growth

Winchester pairs above-average retail trade concentration (73.3) with positive employment growth (trend: 80.7). The market is competitive but still expanding, leaving room for well-positioned new entrants.

Industry Concentration

73.3

LQ: 1.24

Rank #277 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

57.9

$38,620 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 80.7

Employment growth index

Rank #74 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

68.9

YoY wage change index

532 Retail Trade Firms in Winchester

532

Establishments

+1.9% YoY

8,517

Total Employment

+1.2% YoY

$38,620

Average Annual Wage

+1.4% YoY

1.24

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Virginia

#5 of 8

retail trade metros in state

Virginia state rank

#17 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (52.4)

Winchester vs Virginia Statewide

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

Measure	Winchester	VA Statewide
Overall Score	52.4 Challenging	41.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#166 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 Winchester

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 28.5 Information 47.6 Other Services 48.4 Finance and Insurance 48.8

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 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 Winchester's 52.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Texarkana, TX 52.4 #167/378 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 52.3 #165/378 Lewiston, ID 52.5 #168/378 Wildwood-The Villages, FL 52.1 #164/378 Ann Arbor, MI 52.6 #169/378 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA 52.7 #170/378 Portland-South Portland, ME 52.7 #171/378 Lincoln, NE 52.8 #172/378 Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD 52.8 #173/378 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 52.0 #163/378

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 Winchester's retail trade sector, the industry concentration component (73.3) 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 Winchester, VA-WV MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment