44-45/Retail Trade
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
16.0M
employees, 2023
16.0M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1.04 million US Retail Trade business locations employed 16.0 million people and paid $605.7 billion in annual payroll, $37,746 per employee on average. Employment was up 0.8% from 2022. California had the most employees. US Retail Trade revenue (market size) was $6.97 trillion in 2022, up 40.9% from 2017, from 644,146 firms.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,043,373
-0.2% vs 2022
Employees
16,046,207
+0.8% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$605.7B
+3.7% vs 2022
Average pay
$37,746
+2.9% vs 2022
Industry economics
Market size, prices and output of Retail Trade, from official US government statistics
Market size, 2022
$6.97T
+40.9% vs 2017 · 644,146 firms
Share of US GDP
5.90%
$1.81T value added, 2025
Monthly sales
$646.3B
Aug 2026 · +5.4% vs a year earlier
Monthly sales
US dollars per month, seasonally adjusted. Latest: Aug 2026.
Share of US GDP
Value added of Retail Trade as a percent of US GDP, by year
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Retail Trade in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 106,675 | 1,702,044 | $43,691 | 10.37% |
| Texas | 84,369 | 1,382,827 | $37,660 | 11.51% |
| Florida | 75,988 | 1,146,619 | $37,892 | 11.48% |
| New York | 71,941 | 862,844 | $41,560 | 9.84% |
| Pennsylvania | 40,238 | 650,539 | $34,679 | 11.39% |
| Illinois | 35,801 | 571,091 | $37,101 | 10.09% |
| Ohio | 34,275 | 560,620 | $35,159 | 11.03% |
| North Carolina | 35,534 | 535,341 | $34,297 | 12.51% |
| Georgia | 35,820 | 513,434 | $35,396 | 11.65% |
| New Jersey | 29,729 | 465,759 | $39,839 | 11.81% |
| Michigan | 32,868 | 464,027 | $35,956 | 11.48% |
| Virginia | 25,872 | 423,568 | $35,521 | 11.83% |
| Arizona | 17,844 | 358,161 | $39,918 | 12.39% |
| Massachusetts | 22,550 | 357,807 | $42,388 | 10.26% |
| Tennessee | 23,463 | 349,855 | $36,427 | 11.77% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Revenue by state
Revenue (market size) of Retail Trade in each state, 2022. States where the number is not published are gray.
Revenue by state
US dollars, in millions
States with the most revenue
Revenue and the share of the US total
| State | Revenue 2022 | Change | Share of US |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $809.6B | +36.1% vs 2017 | 11.6% |
| Texas | $608.2B | +45.8% vs 2017 | 8.7% |
| Florida | $484.2B | +45.4% vs 2017 | 6.9% |
| New York | $393.0B | +34.7% vs 2017 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | $301.9B | +28.6% vs 2017 | 4.3% |
| Ohio | $246.3B | +41.3% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | $244.7B | +41.1% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Washington | $242.9B | +51.5% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | $216.8B | +45.9% vs 2017 | 3.1% |
| North Carolina | $209.3B | +48.3% vs 2017 | 3.0% |
| New Jersey | $208.6B | +39.9% vs 2017 | 3.0% |
| Michigan | $190.5B | +32.8% vs 2017 | 2.7% |
| Virginia | $159.2B | +32.5% vs 2017 | 2.3% |
| Arizona | $157.5B | +50.9% vs 2017 | 2.3% |
| Indiana | $155.6B | +52.4% vs 2017 | 2.2% |
The 15 states with the most revenue. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Retail Trade employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 70,682 | 844,320 | $43,599 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 38,838 | 566,614 | $45,092 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 25,308 | 421,424 | $38,631 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 21,680 | 376,684 | $40,020 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 23,737 | 328,801 | $40,841 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 20,204 | 317,416 | $37,250 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 18,474 | 315,469 | $37,184 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 18,625 | 297,187 | $36,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 15,148 | 265,458 | $39,215 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 15,568 | 262,150 | $43,812 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 11,620 | 246,994 | $42,207 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 10,992 | 224,267 | $41,168 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 14,016 | 200,705 | $37,313 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 12,038 | 198,184 | $49,106 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 9,998 | 195,652 | $36,058 |
Layoffs
Layoffs in Retail Trade from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports
Layoffs, 12 months
91
Layoff events
Workers, 12 months
22,556
Where the sources state it
Layoffs in all
1,357
The earliest dated Dec 1988
Layoffs and discharges
159,000
Aug 2026, every employer (JOLTS)
| Date | Company | Place | Workers | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2026 | The Kroger Co. KR | Ohio | 3,000 | Reported | News |
| Oct 2, 2026 | Grunt Style, LLC | Florida | 17 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Sep 24, 2026 | Starbucks Corporation SBUX | United States | not stated | Confirmed | SEC 8-K |
| Sep 17, 2026 | Albertsons Companies, Inc. ACI | Pleasanton, CA | 50 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN | Washington | 121 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 31, 2026 | ThriftBooks Global, LLC | Building A Baltimore, MD | 136 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Raley's Store | Brentwood, CA | 51 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 13, 2026 | Nearly Natural, LLC | Hialeah, FL | 60 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Nordstrom | Lombard, IL | 101 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Staples Fulfillment Center | La Mirada, CA | 109 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
Layoff events per month
Oct 2024 to Oct 2026; the newest month is not complete
Top states, last 12 months
| State | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 41 | 8,370 |
| Maryland | 12 | 1,631 |
| Illinois | 10 | 2,846 |
| Florida | 7 | 719 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 436 |
| Washington | 5 | 5,164 |
| Texas | 2 | 231 |
| Oregon | 2 | 72 |
| Ohio | 1 | 3,000 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 87 |
Top companies, last 12 months
| Company | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN | 31 | 12,326 |
| Albertsons Companies, Inc. ACI | 9 | 685 |
| Walmart Inc. WMT | 3 | 605 |
| Macy's, Inc. M | 3 | 245 |
| The Kroger Co. KR | 2 | 3,072 |
| eBay Inc. EBAY | 2 | 469 |
| Hudson | 2 | 147 |
| Saks & Company LLC | 2 | 105 |
| Starbucks Corporation SBUX | 2 | not stated |
| Amazonfresh LLC | 1 | 1,545 |
Layoffs and discharges per month
United States, Retail trade, every employer, in thousands, seasonally adjusted (JOLTS)
Business size
US Retail Trade business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 457,825 | 43.9% |
| 5 to 9 | 248,198 | 23.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 171,604 | 16.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 104,761 | 10.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 32,165 | 3.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 22,574 | 2.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 5,684 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 418 | 0.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 144 | 0.0% |
Sub-industries by revenue
The industries directly below Retail Trade, ranked by revenue, 2022
Largest by revenue
| Code | Industry | Revenue | Change vs 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 441 | Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | $1.60T | +36.6% |
| 455 | General Merchandise Retailers | $1.29T | - |
| 445 | Food and Beverage Retailers | $972.3B | +34.8% |
| 457 | Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers | $765.0B | - |
| 456 | Health and Personal Care Retailers | $654.6B | - |
| 444 | Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers | $548.9B | +58.2% |
| 458 | Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | $398.9B | - |
| 459 | Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers | $383.7B | - |
| 449 | Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers | $367.0B | - |
Related industries
Retail Trade and the 9 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 445 | Food and Beverage Retailers | 3,333,898 | $29,308 |
| 441 | Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers | 2,015,007 | $65,107 |
| 444 | Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers | 1,424,157 | $38,924 |
| 449 | Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 455 | General Merchandise Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 456 | Health and Personal Care Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 457 | Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers | Not yet published | - |
| 458 | Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers | Not yet published | - |
| 459 | Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers | Not yet published | - |
Questions and answers
How big is the US Retail Trade market?
$6.97 trillion in revenue in 2022, up 40.9% from $4.95 trillion in 2017, earned by 644,146 firms. California had the most revenue ($809.6 billion), followed by Texas ($608.2 billion).
How many people work in Retail Trade in the US?
16.0 million people worked at 1.04 million US Retail Trade business locations in 2023, up 0.8% from 2022. That is 11.48% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Retail Trade?
$37,746 a year per employee in 2023, from $605.7 billion in annual payroll (up 2.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Retail Trade jobs?
California had the most, with 1,702,044 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (1,382,827) and Florida (1,146,619).
Which metro areas have the most Retail Trade jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (844,320), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (566,614), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (421,424) had the most Retail Trade employees in 2023.
Are most Retail Trade businesses small?
84.1% of the 1,043,373 Retail Trade business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 562 had 500 or more.
How much does Retail Trade add to US GDP?
5.90% of US GDP in 2025: $1.81 trillion in value added.
How many layoffs were there in Retail Trade in the last 12 months?
91 layoffs were announced in Retail Trade in the last 12 months, affecting 22,556 workers where the number was stated, from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports. The companies with the most layoff events were Amazon.com, Inc. (31), Albertsons Companies, Inc. (9), Walmart Inc. (3).
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes. Market size is counted every five years; producer prices, output and sales are monthly and the newest month is revised later.
