NAICS 44-45

Retail Trade in Janesville-Beloit, WI

Metro Market Score 55.8 (Challenging), ranked #206 of 378 metros. 453 establishments, 7,909 jobs.

Metro Market Score 55.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for retail trade in Janesville-Beloit are tougher than average. The 55.8 market score reflects a combination of moderate wages, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #206 of 378 metros.

Industry Concentration

50.3

LQ: 1.14

Rank #190 of 378 metros

Wage Competitiveness

25.4

$35,324 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 27.5

Employment growth index

Rank #275 of 378 metros

Wage Pressure

75.7

YoY wage change index

453 Retail Trade Firms in Janesville-Beloit

453

Establishments

+0.4% YoY

7,909

Total Employment

-1.5% YoY

$35,324

Average Annual Wage

+2.7% YoY

1.14

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Wisconsin

#12 of 13

retail trade metros in state

Wisconsin state rank

#1 of 51

for retail trade entry risk

vs State Median

+10.3

worse than median (45.5)

Janesville-Beloit vs Wisconsin Statewide

How this metro's retail trade market compares to Wisconsin overall. The state ranks #1/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Janesville-Beloit	WI Statewide
Overall Score	55.8 Challenging	33.3 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#206 of 378 metros	#1 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 Janesville-Beloit

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 20.4 Finance and Insurance 32.0 Accommodation and Food Services 34.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 35.5 Other Services 42.1 Administrative and Support Services 44.2 Construction 44.4 Information 47.3 Healthcare and Social Assistance 55.9

Retail Trade in Other Wisconsin Metros

Racine-Mount Pleasant 31.0 #9/378 Wausau 34.6 #21/378 La Crosse-Onalaska 34.8 #24/378 Sheboygan 38.0 #36/378 Appleton 39.0 #46/378 Milwaukee-Waukesha 39.2 #47/378 Eau Claire 45.5 #87/378 Madison 45.9 #90/378 Oshkosh-Neenah 47.9 #107/378 Kenosha 49.2 #125/378

+ 2 more metros. View all in Wisconsin →

Retail Trade Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Janesville-Beloit's 55.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Weirton-Steubenville, WV 55.8 #207/378 Port St. Lucie, FL 55.7 #205/378 Lawton, OK 56.0 #208/378 Hanford-Corcoran, CA 55.6 #204/378 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 55.6 #203/378 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 56.0 #209/378 Rocky Mount, NC 56.1 #210/378 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 55.5 #202/378 Merced, CA 56.2 #211/378 Farmington, NM 55.3 #201/378

Retail Trade in States Bordering Wisconsin

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

Minnesota 39.6 #9/51 Michigan 40.5 #15/51 Iowa 40.8 #16/51 Illinois 48.1 #39/51

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 Janesville-Beloit's retail trade sector, the employment growth component (72.5) 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 Janesville-Beloit, WI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment