NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Metro Market Score 72.7 (Difficult), ranked #273 of 298 metros. 8,123 establishments, 170,776 jobs.

Metro Market Score 72.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national accommodation and food services average.

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 94.3 and rising pressure at 77.1. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

79.5

LQ: 1.22

Rank #237 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

94.3

$35,930 avg wage

Growth Trend

54.0

Employment growth index

Rank #138 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

77.1

YoY wage change index

8,123 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

8,123

Establishments

+1.6% YoY

170,776

Total Employment

+0.3% YoY

$35,930

Average Annual Wage

+5.2% YoY

1.22

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within California

#18 of 25

accommodation and food services metros in state

California state rank

#47 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

+4.1

worse than median (68.6)

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad vs California Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to California overall. The state ranks #47/51 for entry risk.

Measure	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad	CA Statewide
Overall Score	72.7 Difficult	57.2 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#273 of 298 metros	#47 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad

Healthcare and Social Assistance 38.9 Other Services 59.2 Retail Trade 60.6 Construction 62.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.6 Information 71.5 Finance and Insurance 72.0 Administrative and Support Services 72.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 81.7

Accommodation and Food Services in Other California Metros

Fresno 39.2 #46/298 Hanford-Corcoran 50.6 #120/298 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara 53.3 #140/298 Chico 53.8 #147/298 El Centro 54.7 #155/298 Visalia 56.9 #163/298 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles 60.6 #197/298 Redding 62.2 #208/298 Bakersfield-Delano 64.2 #220/298 Stockton-Lodi 64.5 #221/298

+ 14 more metros. View all in California →

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's 72.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Elizabethtown, KY 72.6 #272/298 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 72.8 #274/298 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 72.3 #271/298 Anchorage, AK 73.2 #275/298 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 71.9 #270/298 Port St. Lucie, FL 71.9 #269/298 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 73.7 #276/298 Boulder, CO 71.6 #268/298 Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 73.9 #277/298 Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ 71.3 #267/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering California

State-level entry risk for accommodation and food services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Oregon 42.8 #32/51 Arizona 46.9 #40/51 Nevada 64.0 #49/51

Browse Accommodation and Food Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for accommodation and food services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (94.3) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment