NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Kennewick-Richland, WA

Metro Market Score 58.9 (Challenging), ranked #242 of 378 metros. 730 establishments, 13,831 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market

Kennewick-Richland stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 75.9 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 63.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

24.6

LQ: 1.02

Rank #93 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

75.9

$40,793 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 29.9

Employment growth index

Rank #266 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

63.7

YoY wage change index

730 Retail Trade Firms in Kennewick-Richland

730

Establishments

+0.1% YoY

13,831

Total Employment

-1.4% YoY

$40,793

Average Annual Wage

+0.4% YoY

1.02

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Washington

#3 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Washington state rank

#20 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-10.3

better than median (69.2)

Kennewick-Richland vs Washington Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Washington overall. The state ranks #20/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Kennewick-Richland	WA Statewide
Overall Score	58.9 Challenging	42.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#242 of 378 metros	#20 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 Kennewick-Richland

Information 31.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 36.5 Other Services 42.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 46.8 Finance and Insurance 51.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 56.5 Construction 60.8 Accommodation and Food Services 62.2 Administrative and Support Services 68.4

Retail Trade in Other Washington Metros

Walla Walla 51.0 #153/378 Bellingham 58.5 #237/378 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 60.7 #263/378 Yakima 67.8 #326/378 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 69.2 #329/378 Longview-Kelso 69.3 #332/378 Spokane-Spokane Valley 69.7 #334/378 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 69.9 #337/378 Mount Vernon-Anacortes 71.8 #348/378 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard 74.0 #361/378

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Kennewick-Richland's 58.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Missoula, MT 58.9 #243/378 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 59.0 #244/378 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 58.7 #241/378 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV 59.2 #245/378 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 58.6 #240/378 Battle Creek, MI 58.5 #238/378 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 58.5 #239/378 Bellingham, WA 58.5 #237/378 Morristown, TN 58.4 #236/378 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 58.4 #235/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Washington

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

Idaho 40.1 #12/51 Oregon 42.9 #24/51

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 Kennewick-Richland's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (70.1) 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 Kennewick-Richland, WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment