NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in St. Cloud, MN

Metro Market Score 39.7 (Moderate), ranked #47 of 298 metros. 441 establishments, 7,097 jobs.

Metro Market Score 39.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

St. Cloud's accommodation and food services market sits near the national metro median, ranking #47 of 298 with a market score of 39.7. No single metric stands out as an outlier, which means entry conditions depend more on your specific business model than on broad market forces.

Industry Concentration

3.0

LQ: 0.75

Rank #9 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

16.8

$20,993 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 26.9

Employment growth index

Rank #219 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

63.8

YoY wage change index

441 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in St. Cloud

441

Establishments

-1.1% YoY

7,097

Total Employment

-1.1% YoY

$20,993

Average Annual Wage

+1.3% YoY

0.75

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Minnesota

#2 of 5

accommodation and food services metros in state

Minnesota state rank

#19 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

-2.4

better than median (42.0)

St. Cloud vs Minnesota Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Minnesota overall. The state ranks #19/51 for entry risk.

Measure	St. Cloud	MN Statewide
Overall Score	39.7 Moderate	34.9 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#47 of 298 metros	#19 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 St. Cloud

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 15.9 Other Services 43.9 Retail Trade 54.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 57.2 Information 57.9 Finance and Insurance 58.9 Administrative and Support Services 60.4 Construction 62.4

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Minnesota Metros

Mankato 32.8 #24/298 Duluth 42.0 #60/298 Rochester 45.0 #84/298 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 45.5 #90/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of St. Cloud's 39.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Chambersburg, PA 39.8 #48/298 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 40.0 #49/298 Fresno, CA 39.2 #46/298 Jackson, MI 39.0 #45/298 Madison, WI 40.3 #50/298 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 40.5 #51/298 Hammond, LA 40.5 #52/298 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 38.8 #44/298 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 40.7 #53/298 Vineland, NJ 38.5 #43/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Minnesota

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

Wisconsin 28.2 #5/51 North Dakota 29.5 #12/51 South Dakota 36.7 #23/51 Iowa 39.0 #29/51

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 St. Cloud's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (73.2) 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 St. Cloud, MN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment