A recent analysis from Printastic spotlights the U.S. cities and states where physical retail is growing (and shrinking) fastest, and which locations could face new headwinds just as in-person shopping was beginning to recover. Tulsa’s growth in retail since 2020 is above the U.S. average.

Key Takeaways:

•  Retail’s Long Decline—and Fragile Recovery: Over the past 20 years, retail establishment growth (+4.8%) has lagged far behind total U.S. business growth (+49.4%), with major setbacks during the Great Recession and COVID-19 pandemic.

•  Post-Pandemic Gains: From 2020 to 2024, the sector added over 38,000 new stores and 870,000 jobs—the strongest retail expansion in decades.

•  Southeastern and Western States Lead in Retail Growth: States like Idaho (+18.8%), Tennessee (+14.5%), and Georgia (+12.5%) posted the highest retail growth since 2020, while parts of the Northeast and Midwest posted declines.

•  Metro-Level Growth Could Stall: In the metros where retail has grown between 2020 and 2024, rising costs could test the durability of those gains.

•  How Retail Has Fared in the Tulsa metro: Between 2020 and 2024, the Tulsa metro gained 146 retail establishments—an increase of 4.5%, above the national increase of 3.7%. Meanwhile, retail employment increased by 1,106 workers (+2.4%) during that span.

The report covers 375 U.S. metros and all 50 states, with a detailed breakdown of retail growth rates, total establishments and employment, and how those figures have changed since 2020.

The full report from Printastic may be found online at the following link: https://www.printastic.com/research/cities-with-the-most-retail-business-growth/