NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Metro Market Score 60.7 (Difficult), ranked #263 of 378 metros. 9,624 establishments, 174,148 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue stands out for high retail trade labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 99.5 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 82.9 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

2.9

LQ: 0.84

Rank #11 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

99.5

$53,888 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 38.4

Employment growth index

Rank #234 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

82.9

YoY wage change index

9,624 Retail Trade Firms in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

9,624

Establishments

+0.8% YoY

174,148

Total Employment

-0.9% YoY

$53,888

Average Annual Wage

+4.1% YoY

0.84

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Washington

#4 of 11

retail trade metros in state

Washington state rank

#20 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

-8.5

better than median (69.2)

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue vs Washington Statewide

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

Measure	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue	WA Statewide
Overall Score	60.7 Difficult	42.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#263 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

Accommodation and Food Services 53.4 Healthcare and Social Assistance 56.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.5 Administrative and Support Services 67.7 Finance and Insurance 69.0 Other Services 69.3 Construction 74.5 Information 75.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 78.2

Retail Trade in Other Washington Metros

Walla Walla 51.0 #153/378 Bellingham 58.5 #237/378 Kennewick-Richland 58.9 #242/378 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue's 60.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Sioux City, IA 60.7 #264/378 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 60.6 #262/378 Saginaw, MI 60.8 #265/378 Sumter, SC 60.8 #266/378 Tucson, AZ 60.5 #260/378 Albany, OR 60.5 #261/378 Rockford, IL 60.5 #259/378 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN 60.4 #258/378 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 60.4 #257/378 Winston-Salem, NC 60.3 #256/378

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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue's retail trade sector, the wage competitiveness component (99.5) 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment