Massachusetts Retail Jobs Are Second Only to This Industry

How many people does it take to run Massachusetts' grocery stores, shopping centers, restaurants, nail salons, barrooms and other retail businesses? A lot.

"Retail is the nation's largest private-sector employer, driving the U.S. economy and creating jobs in communities around the country," according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Some 55 million jobs across the country are retail-related.

It's a similar story in Massachusetts.

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Statistics from the National Retail Federation show 87,900 retail establishments in Massachusetts employ some 696,900 thousand workers, including food services and drinking places. A total of 1.2 million jobs are supported. That's 24 percent of all of the jobs in Massachusetts.

The direct labor income from that retail activity is $31.7 billion, with a direct impact on the GDP of $48.2 billion and a total $123.9 billion impact on the GDP.

The number of retail trade jobs in Massachusetts (696,900) is second only to the health care and social assistance industry, which employs 702,680 workers. It dwarfs the next-highest industry, the professional, scientific, and technical service industry, which employs 541,950 workers.

There are an estimated 10,180 retail establishments in the Massachusetts 9th Congressional District, including New Bedford, for a total of 85,930 workers with some 127,960 jobs supported.

The numbers result in hundreds of millions of dollars in wages and a significant impact on the region's GDP.

The retail industry makes an immeasurable impact on the federal, state and local communities in terms of jobs and revenue.