NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA

Metro Market Score 54.2 (Challenging), ranked #150 of 298 metros. 11,546 establishments, 224,074 jobs.

Metro Market Score 54.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Wage costs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 95.3 and rising pressure at 70.3. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

26.9

LQ: 0.91

Rank #80 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.3

$37,175 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 68.1

Employment growth index

Rank #96 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

70.3

YoY wage change index

11,546 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Boston-Cambridge-Newton

11,546

Establishments

-2.0% YoY

224,074

Total Employment

+1.4% YoY

$37,175

Average Annual Wage

+3.2% YoY

0.91

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#2 of 6

accommodation and food services metros in state

Massachusetts state rank

#7 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

-12.0

better than median (66.2)

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Massachusetts Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Massachusetts overall. The state ranks #7/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boston-Cambridge-Newton	MA Statewide
Overall Score	54.2 Challenging	28.4 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#150 of 298 metros	#7 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton

Retail Trade 56.0 Construction 63.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 66.6 Other Services 67.7 Administrative and Support Services 69.2 Healthcare and Social Assistance 70.3 Information 72.6 Finance and Insurance 79.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 80.3

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 53.6 #144/298 Springfield 65.4 #228/298 Worcester 66.2 #234/298 Pittsfield 81.5 #290/298 Barnstable Town 82.3 #291/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boston-Cambridge-Newton's 54.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Oklahoma City, OK 54.2 #151/298 Greenville, NC 54.0 #149/298 Rockford, IL 54.4 #152/298 Columbus, IN 53.8 #148/298 Chico, CA 53.8 #147/298 Killeen-Temple, TX 54.6 #153/298 Great Falls, MT 53.7 #146/298 Odessa, TX 54.6 #154/298 Omaha, NE 53.6 #145/298 El Centro, CA 54.7 #155/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Massachusetts

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

Rhode Island 28.3 #6/51 New Hampshire 28.8 #8/51 Connecticut 37.3 #27/51 Vermont 51.0 #43/51 New York 58.6 #48/51

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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.3) 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment