NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Metro Market Score 56.6 (Challenging), ranked #162 of 298 metros. 2,776 establishments, 46,629 jobs.

Metro Market Score 56.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

⚡Rising Wages

Market conditions for accommodation and food services in Buffalo-Cheektowaga are tougher than average. The 56.6 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #162 of 298 metros.

Industry Concentration

35.6

LQ: 0.96

Rank #106 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

60.7

$26,505 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 39.9

Employment growth index

Rank #180 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

72.7

YoY wage change index

2,776 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Buffalo-Cheektowaga

2,776

Establishments

+0.4% YoY

46,629

Total Employment

-0.1% YoY

$26,505

Average Annual Wage

+3.9% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New York

#7 of 13

accommodation and food services metros in state

New York state rank

#48 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (56.6)

Buffalo-Cheektowaga vs New York Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to New York overall. The state ranks #48/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Buffalo-Cheektowaga	NY Statewide
Overall Score	56.6 Challenging	58.6 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#162 of 298 metros	#48 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga

Healthcare and Social Assistance 40.2 Retail Trade 42.4 Information 46.2 Construction 51.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 54.2 Other Services 60.2 Administrative and Support Services 64.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 65.1 Finance and Insurance 74.4

Accommodation and Food Services in Other New York Metros

Binghamton 47.1 #97/298 Albany-Schenectady-Troy 48.4 #105/298 Utica-Rome 51.3 #124/298 Rochester 51.5 #128/298 Ithaca 54.9 #156/298 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 55.1 #158/298 Syracuse 57.6 #170/298 Elmira 59.7 #182/298 New York-Newark-Jersey City 66.4 #237/298 Kingston 66.7 #238/298

+ 2 more metros. View all in New York →

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Buffalo-Cheektowaga's 56.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Visalia, CA 56.9 #163/298 Longview-Kelso, WA 56.9 #164/298 Rome, GA 57.1 #165/298 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 57.2 #166/298 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA 57.3 #167/298 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 55.9 #161/298 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA 57.5 #168/298 Decatur, IL 55.7 #160/298 Gadsden, AL 55.7 #159/298 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 57.6 #169/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering New York

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

Massachusetts 28.4 #7/51 Pennsylvania 36.8 #24/51 Connecticut 37.3 #27/51 New Jersey 43.3 #34/51 Vermont 51.0 #43/51

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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (60.1) 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment