Sporting Goods Retailers: By the Numbers
24,475 establishments, 291,640 employees and $10.0 billion in annual payroll. Most of them run on software that records how the work gets done. Here's the industry, state by state.
Establishments
Sporting Goods Retailers worksites in the U.S.
Employees
About 12 per location on average
Average annual pay
$10.0 billion in total payroll
Job growth, 1 year
Year-over-year employment change
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 11, 2026. bls.gov/cew
Most jobs
- California: 28,989 employees
- Texas: 25,120 employees
- Florida: 17,847 employees
- New York: 11,407 employees
- North Carolina: 10,581 employees
Fastest growing
- Oklahoma: +10.1% jobs in a year
- West Virginia: +3.6% jobs in a year
- New Hampshire: +3.0% jobs in a year
- Alabama: +2.9% jobs in a year
- Georgia: +2.1% jobs in a year
Most concentrated
- Montana: 2.67× the national share
- Idaho: 2.15× the national share
- South Dakota: 2.06× the national share
- North Dakota: 2.06× the national share
- Vermont: 1.96× the national share
All States, Ranked by Employment
| State | Establishments | Employees | Avg. pay | 1-yr jobs | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,722 | 28,989 | $38,302 | -3.1% | 0.85 |
| Texas | 1,523 | 25,120 | $34,660 | +0.7% | 0.95 |
| Florida | 1,998 | 17,847 | $35,739 | +1.2% | 0.96 |
| New York | 1,015 | 11,407 | $37,333 | -0.5% | 0.62 |
| North Carolina | 882 | 10,581 | $32,672 | -1.4% | 1.14 |
| Colorado | 824 | 10,184 | $38,422 | -3.8% | 1.88 |
| Ohio | 720 | 9,694 | $30,755 | -0.9% | 0.94 |
| Pennsylvania | 848 | 9,490 | $28,332 | -0.5% | 0.84 |
| Illinois | 631 | 8,777 | $34,233 | -1.8% | 0.77 |
| Michigan | 772 | 8,535 | $31,578 | -1.3% | 1.03 |
| Georgia | 736 | 8,324 | $32,696 | +2.1% | 0.91 |
| Minnesota | 549 | 7,391 | $34,858 | +0.3% | 1.34 |
| Tennessee | 554 | 7,217 | $33,460 | +0.2% | 1.18 |
| Washington | 536 | 7,003 | $42,646 | -5.8% | 1.04 |
| Arizona | 541 | 6,644 | $35,605 | -1.2% | 1.10 |
| Virginia | 502 | 6,519 | $29,837 | -3.6% | 0.84 |
| Utah | 403 | 5,958 | $37,721 | -7.0% | 1.83 |
| New Jersey | 440 | 5,785 | $35,309 | +1.3% | 0.72 |
| Indiana | 479 | 5,774 | $29,330 | +0.9% | 0.97 |
| South Carolina | 436 | 5,730 | $34,428 | -0.2% | 1.32 |
| Missouri | 462 | 5,618 | $33,816 | -0.6% | 1.04 |
| Wisconsin | 544 | 5,383 | $28,653 | -0.4% | 0.98 |
| Massachusetts | 455 | 5,327 | $50,368 | -11.1% | 0.78 |
| Oregon | 502 | 4,998 | $38,664 | -4.8% | 1.34 |
| Alabama | 431 | 4,587 | $26,357 | +2.9% | 1.16 |
| Maryland | 350 | 4,572 | $32,457 | +0.9% | 0.89 |
| Kentucky | 348 | 4,300 | $32,787 | +0.4% | 1.15 |
| Oklahoma | 306 | 4,025 | $28,034 | +10.1% | 1.26 |
| Louisiana | 326 | 3,878 | $26,588 | +2.0% | 1.07 |
| Idaho | 347 | 3,521 | $32,387 | -1.0% | 2.15 |
| Kansas | 208 | 3,433 | $29,159 | -6.1% | 1.28 |
| Iowa | 224 | 3,324 | $29,119 | -2.0% | 1.14 |
| Nevada | 224 | 2,919 | $34,084 | +2.0% | 0.99 |
| Arkansas | 278 | 2,594 | $30,894 | -0.4% | 1.06 |
| Montana | 205 | 2,566 | $34,124 | -2.6% | 2.67 |
| Connecticut | 275 | 2,530 | $38,048 | -0.7% | 0.80 |
| Mississippi | 205 | 2,382 | $25,788 | -5.2% | 1.08 |
| Nebraska | 139 | 2,374 | $28,132 | -4.7% | 1.24 |
| New Hampshire | 198 | 2,245 | $34,913 | +3.0% | 1.74 |
| South Dakota | 97 | 1,779 | $35,085 | -2.2% | 2.06 |
| North Dakota | 60 | 1,654 | $32,485 | +1.2% | 2.06 |
| Maine | 149 | 1,617 | $35,265 | -26.3% | 1.33 |
| New Mexico | 156 | 1,501 | $28,246 | -1.6% | 0.92 |
| West Virginia | 154 | 1,414 | $27,603 | +3.6% | 1.09 |
| Hawaii | 171 | 1,184 | $30,811 | -1.6% | 0.98 |
| Vermont | 133 | 1,133 | $38,465 | -2.2% | 1.96 |
| Alaska | 92 | 1,086 | $31,030 | -4.1% | 1.74 |
| Delaware | 94 | 987 | $29,566 | -0.7% | 1.09 |
| Wyoming | 110 | 885 | $30,737 | -6.9% | 1.67 |
| Rhode Island | 95 | 573 | $36,742 | -12.3% | 0.61 |
| District of Columbia | 29 | 285 | $53,152 | -4.7% | 0.21 |
Concentration = location quotient (1.00 = the industry's national share of jobs).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 11, 2026. bls.gov/cew
What This Means for Your Data
Buyers value data that is deep, large and fresh. An industry with 291,640 people working in software every day produces exactly that: years of operating history that the public internet doesn't have. Established organizations (roughly 20+ staff, 2+ years, software every day) fit best today.
Data MVP never asks for personal data. See what that data looks like, or text Max for a free appraisal.
Sporting Goods Retailers: Data FAQ
How many sporting goods retailers are there in the U.S.?
About 24,475 private sporting goods retailers establishments employed 291,640 people in 2025 (BLS QCEW annual average).
Which state has the most sporting goods retailers jobs?
California leads with 28,989 employees across 2,722 establishments (2025, BLS QCEW).
What is the average pay in sporting goods retailers?
The average annual pay was $34,252 in 2025, according to BLS QCEW.
Is sporting goods retailers business data valuable to AI companies?
It can be. With about 291,640 people logging daily work in software, established sporting goods retailers create years of operating records. Data MVP helps established organizations find out what their business data could be worth, free, by text with Max. Business data only, never personal data.
What's Your Organization's Data Worth?
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