NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

Metro Market Score 70.4 (Difficult), ranked #265 of 298 metros. 7,873 establishments, 140,437 jobs.

Metro Market Assessment

Metro Market Score 70.4
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

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 83.6 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 79.2 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration
56.7
LQ: 1.08
Rank #169 of 298 metros
Wage Competitiveness
83.6
$30,577 avg wage
Growth Trend
↓ 34.9
Employment growth index
Rank #195 of 298 metros
Wage Pressure
79.2
YoY wage change index

7,873 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

7,873
Establishments
+4.1% YoY
140,437
Total Employment
-0.5% YoY
$30,577
Average Annual Wage
+5.8% YoY
1.08
Location Quotient
Above national avg

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater vs Florida Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Florida overall. The state ranks #44/51 for entry risk.

Measure Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL Statewide
Overall Score 70.4 Difficult 53.6 Elevated
Score Type Metro Market Score Entry Risk Score
Rank #265 of 298 metros #44 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

Other Services 48.7 Construction 52.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 57.0 Retail Trade 57.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 60.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.1 Information 61.6 Finance and Insurance 66.8 Administrative and Support Services 79.2

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Florida Metros

Ocala 48.4 #104/298 Sebring 51.5 #127/298 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville 57.6 #169/298 Cape Coral-Fort Myers 60.2 #187/298 Jacksonville 60.2 #188/298 Punta Gorda 60.6 #194/298 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach 61.6 #203/298 Lakeland-Winter Haven 62.6 #212/298 Naples-Marco Island 63.3 #216/298 Tallahassee 66.3 #235/298

+ 9 more metros. View all in Florida →

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (83.6) 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.