Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Retail Trade in Colorado, 2026 Edition
NAICS 44-45
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
18,698
Employees
288,836
Annual payroll
$11.32B
2. National context
Colorado accounts for 1.79% of the 1,045,890 US establishments in this sector and ranks 18th out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
CO avg annual wage
$39,207
US avg annual wage
$36,685
Colorado sector wages are +6.9% versus the national average for NAICS 44-45.
4. Federal exclusion overlay (state-wide)
OIG LEIE individuals + entities
1,766
SAM debarred/excluded
2,459
Exclusion counts are state-wide across all NAICS, not specific to Retail Trade. Sourced from OIG LEIE and SAM exclusion lists, as of 2026-05-27.
5. Top 3 counties by establishment count
| Rank | County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Denver County | 2,348 | 33,167 |
| #2 | El Paso County | 2,022 | 33,455 |
| #3 | Arapahoe County | 1,839 | 33,145 |
GovBids
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