NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Trenton-Princeton, NJ

Metro Market Score 46.1 (Moderate), ranked #96 of 298 metros. 834 establishments, 12,694 jobs.

Metro Market Score 46.1

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

💰High-Cost Market🌱Emerging Market

Trenton-Princeton stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 78.9 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 69.3 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

0.3

LQ: 0.53

Rank #1 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

78.9

$29,630 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 58.4

Employment growth index

Rank #125 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

69.3

YoY wage change index

834 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Trenton-Princeton

834

Establishments

+3.1% YoY

12,694

Total Employment

+0.6% YoY

$29,630

Average Annual Wage

+2.9% YoY

0.53

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New Jersey

#2 of 3

accommodation and food services metros in state

New Jersey state rank

#34 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (46.1)

Trenton-Princeton vs New Jersey Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to New Jersey overall. The state ranks #34/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Trenton-Princeton	NJ Statewide
Overall Score	46.1 Moderate	43.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#96 of 298 metros	#34 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 Trenton-Princeton

Retail Trade 42.0 Administrative and Support Services 42.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 44.7 Construction 55.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 59.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 62.8 Other Services 66.4 Finance and Insurance 74.4 Information 75.7

Accommodation and Food Services in Other New Jersey Metros

Vineland 38.5 #43/298 Atlantic City-Hammonton 60.6 #196/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Trenton-Princeton's 46.1 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Walla Walla, WA 46.1 #95/298 Gainesville, GA 46.1 #94/298 Elkhart-Goshen, IN 46.0 #93/298 Burlington, NC 45.6 #92/298 Tyler, TX 45.5 #91/298 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 45.5 #90/298 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 45.5 #89/298 Canton-Massillon, OH 45.3 #88/298 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA 45.3 #87/298 Albany, GA 45.2 #86/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering New Jersey

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

Delaware 19.8 #1/51 Pennsylvania 36.8 #24/51 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 Trenton-Princeton's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (78.9) 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 Trenton-Princeton, NJ MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment