NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Portland-South Portland, ME

Metro Market Score 60.9 (Difficult), ranked #199 of 298 metros. 2,046 establishments, 29,927 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.9

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📈Rapid Growth

Wage costs in Portland-South Portland's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 93.0 and rising pressure at 68.9. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

69.5

LQ: 1.14

Rank #207 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

93.0

$34,597 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 78.2

Employment growth index

Rank #66 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

68.9

YoY wage change index

2,046 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Portland-South Portland

2,046

Establishments

+1.9% YoY

29,927

Total Employment

+2.1% YoY

$34,597

Average Annual Wage

+2.8% YoY

1.14

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Maine

#3 of 3

accommodation and food services metros in state

Maine state rank

#46 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

+8.1

worse than median (52.8)

Portland-South Portland vs Maine Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Maine overall. The state ranks #46/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Portland-South Portland	ME Statewide
Overall Score	60.9 Difficult	55.0 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#199 of 298 metros	#46 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 Portland-South Portland

Healthcare and Social Assistance 51.7 Other Services 52.3 Retail Trade 52.7 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 71.4

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Maine Metros

Bangor 44.8 #81/298 Lewiston-Auburn 52.8 #135/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Portland-South Portland's 60.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Las Cruces, NM 60.8 #198/298 Corvallis, OR 61.1 #200/298 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA 61.1 #201/298 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 60.6 #197/298 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 60.6 #196/298 Hinesville, GA 60.6 #195/298 Reno, NV 61.3 #202/298 Punta Gorda, FL 60.6 #194/298 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 60.6 #193/298 Sherman-Denison, TX 60.5 #192/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Maine

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

New Hampshire 28.8 #8/51

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 Portland-South Portland's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (93.0) 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 Portland-South Portland, ME MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment