NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Ithaca, NY

Metro Market Score 54.9 (Challenging), ranked #156 of 298 metros. 293 establishments, 3,403 jobs.

Metro Market Score 54.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Wage costs in Ithaca's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 74.8 and rising pressure at 62.5. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

4.7

LQ: 0.78

Rank #14 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

74.8

$28,871 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 24.8

Employment growth index

Rank #225 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

62.5

YoY wage change index

293 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Ithaca

293

Establishments

-1.3% YoY

3,403

Total Employment

-1.2% YoY

$28,871

Average Annual Wage

+0.9% YoY

0.78

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New York

#5 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

-1.7

better than median (56.6)

Ithaca 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	Ithaca	NY Statewide
Overall Score	54.9 Challenging	58.6 High
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#156 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 Ithaca

Construction 31.6 Retail Trade 34.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 36.4 Administrative and Support Services 40.6 Information 54.0 Other Services 60.1 Finance and Insurance 62.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 65.4

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 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 55.1 #158/298 Buffalo-Cheektowaga 56.6 #162/298 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 Ithaca's 54.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Pueblo, CO 55.0 #157/298 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY 55.1 #158/298 El Centro, CA 54.7 #155/298 Odessa, TX 54.6 #154/298 Killeen-Temple, TX 54.6 #153/298 Rockford, IL 54.4 #152/298 Oklahoma City, OK 54.2 #151/298 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 54.2 #150/298 Gadsden, AL 55.7 #159/298 Decatur, IL 55.7 #160/298

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 Ithaca's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (75.2) 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 Ithaca, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment