NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Metro Market Score 84.9 (Difficult), ranked #294 of 298 metros. 1,208 establishments, 24,101 jobs.

Metro Market Assessment

Metro Market Score 84.9
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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 93.6 and rising pressure at 76.5. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration
80.5
LQ: 1.23
Rank #240 of 298 metros
Wage Competitiveness
93.6
$35,120 avg wage
Growth Trend
↓ 13.1
Employment growth index
Rank #260 of 298 metros
Wage Pressure
76.5
YoY wage change index

1,208 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

1,208
Establishments
+0.2% YoY
24,101
Total Employment
-2.7% YoY
$35,120
Average Annual Wage
+5.0% YoY
1.23
Location Quotient
Above national avg

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA Statewide
Overall Score 84.9 Difficult 57.2 High
Score Type Metro Market Score Entry Risk Score
Rank #294 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

Construction 39.1 Finance and Insurance 42.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 45.9 Retail Trade 51.6 Other Services 54.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 65.8 Administrative and Support Services 76.0 Information 78.0

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 →

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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (86.9) 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

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.