NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Hattiesburg, MS

Metro Market Score 53.3 (Challenging), ranked #139 of 298 metros. 382 establishments, 7,614 jobs.

Metro Market Score 53.3

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Accommodation and Food Services conditions in Hattiesburg are mixed. The 53.3 market score puts it at #139 of 298, with no metric pulling sharply in either direction. Wages, growth, and competition are all within a normal range for this industry.

Industry Concentration

87.9

LQ: 1.36

Rank #262 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

9.7

$20,487 avg wage

Growth Trend

49.3

Employment growth index

Rank #152 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

68.3

YoY wage change index

382 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Hattiesburg

382

Establishments

+3.8% YoY

7,614

Total Employment

+0.1% YoY

$20,487

Average Annual Wage

+2.6% YoY

1.36

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Mississippi

#1 of 1

accommodation and food services metros in state

Mississippi state rank

#21 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (53.3)

Hattiesburg vs Mississippi Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Mississippi overall. The state ranks #21/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Hattiesburg	MS Statewide
Overall Score	53.3 Challenging	35.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#139 of 298 metros	#21 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 Hattiesburg

Construction 29.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 31.4 Other Services 34.4 Finance and Insurance 37.8 Retail Trade 73.6

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Hattiesburg's 53.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 53.3 #140/298 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 53.4 #141/298 Winston-Salem, NC 53.4 #142/298 Lexington Park, MD 53.5 #143/298 Eugene-Springfield, OR 53.0 #138/298 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 53.6 #144/298 Morgantown, WV 52.9 #137/298 Sumter, SC 52.9 #136/298 Omaha, NE 53.6 #145/298 Great Falls, MT 53.7 #146/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Mississippi

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

Tennessee 29.5 #13/51 Arkansas 36.9 #26/51 Louisiana 43.8 #36/51 Alabama 44.1 #37/51

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 Hattiesburg's accommodation and food services sector, the industry concentration component (87.9) 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 Hattiesburg, MS MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment