NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

Metro Market Score 62.8 (Difficult), ranked #213 of 298 metros. 979 establishments, 19,168 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.8

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

Fort Collins-Loveland stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 76.2 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 74.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

75.5

LQ: 1.20

Rank #225 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

76.2

$29,279 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 66.8

Employment growth index

Rank #100 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

74.7

YoY wage change index

979 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Fort Collins-Loveland

979

Establishments

+1.3% YoY

19,168

Total Employment

+1.3% YoY

$29,279

Average Annual Wage

+4.5% YoY

1.20

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Colorado

#3 of 6

accommodation and food services metros in state

Colorado state rank

#41 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

-2.0

better than median (64.9)

Fort Collins-Loveland vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #41/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Fort Collins-Loveland	CO Statewide
Overall Score	62.8 Difficult	46.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#213 of 298 metros	#41 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 Fort Collins-Loveland

Healthcare and Social Assistance 38.3 Information 53.8 Finance and Insurance 53.9 Retail Trade 57.8 Administrative and Support Services 60.4 Other Services 61.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 63.4 Construction 65.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 73.6

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Colorado Metros

Greeley 44.4 #78/298 Pueblo 55.0 #157/298 Grand Junction 64.9 #226/298 Boulder 71.6 #268/298 Colorado Springs 78.6 #286/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Fort Collins-Loveland's 62.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 62.6 #212/298 Providence-Warwick, RI 63.2 #214/298 Farmington, NM 63.2 #215/298 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 62.4 #211/298 Naples-Marco Island, FL 63.3 #216/298 Lafayette, LA 62.3 #210/298 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 63.4 #217/298 Redding, CA 62.2 #208/298 Kennewick-Richland, WA 62.2 #209/298 Hot Springs, AR 62.0 #207/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Colorado

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

New Mexico 24.5 #3/51 Kansas 34.2 #18/51 Oklahoma 35.0 #20/51 Utah 36.5 #22/51 Nebraska 41.5 #31/51 Arizona 46.9 #40/51 Wyoming 55.0 #45/51

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 Fort Collins-Loveland's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (76.2) 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment