NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Worcester, MA

Metro Market Score 66.2 (Difficult), ranked #234 of 298 metros. 1,596 establishments, 25,832 jobs.

Metro Market Score 66.2

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 Worcester's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 77.2 and rising pressure at 75.1. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

11.1

LQ: 0.81

Rank #33 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

77.2

$29,398 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 3.0

Employment growth index

Rank #290 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

75.1

YoY wage change index

1,596 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Worcester

1,596

Establishments

-17.2% YoY

25,832

Total Employment

-14.0% YoY

$29,398

Average Annual Wage

+4.6% YoY

0.81

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#4 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

0.0

matches median (66.2)

Worcester 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	Worcester	MA Statewide
Overall Score	66.2 Difficult	28.4 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#234 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 Worcester

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.4 Other Services 62.5 Information 65.6 Administrative and Support Services 69.4 Construction 70.7 Retail Trade 74.0 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 76.1 Finance and Insurance 77.7 Healthcare and Social Assistance 84.9

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 53.6 #144/298 Boston-Cambridge-Newton 54.2 #150/298 Springfield 65.4 #228/298 Pittsfield 81.5 #290/298 Barnstable Town 82.3 #291/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Worcester's 66.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Billings, MT 66.0 #233/298 Tallahassee, FL 66.3 #235/298 Santa Fe, NM 66.3 #236/298 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 66.4 #237/298 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA 65.8 #232/298 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 65.8 #231/298 Youngstown-Warren, OH 65.7 #230/298 Corpus Christi, TX 65.7 #229/298 Kingston, NY 66.7 #238/298 Springfield, MA 65.4 #228/298

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 Worcester's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (97.0) 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 Worcester, MA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment