NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Asheville, NC

Metro Market Score 85.4 (Difficult), ranked #295 of 298 metros. 1,360 establishments, 21,895 jobs.

Metro Market Score 85.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages

Asheville stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 81.5 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 71.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

85.9

LQ: 1.30

Rank #256 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

81.5

$30,091 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 2.7

Employment growth index

Rank #291 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

71.7

YoY wage change index

1,360 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Asheville

1,360

Establishments

-11.4% YoY

21,895

Total Employment

-14.1% YoY

$30,091

Average Annual Wage

+3.6% YoY

1.30

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within North Carolina

#14 of 14

accommodation and food services metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#2 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

+32.0

worse than median (53.4)

Asheville vs North Carolina Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to North Carolina overall. The state ranks #2/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Asheville	NC Statewide
Overall Score	85.4 Difficult	23.4 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#295 of 298 metros	#2 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 Asheville

Construction 56.7 Finance and Insurance 59.2 Information 64.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 65.0 Retail Trade 72.8 Other Services 75.1

Accommodation and Food Services in Other North Carolina Metros

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 30.8 #16/298 Durham-Chapel Hill 40.0 #49/298 Raleigh-Cary 42.8 #64/298 Burlington 45.6 #92/298 Greensboro-High Point 49.3 #111/298 Wilmington 50.4 #117/298 Rocky Mount 52.0 #131/298 Winston-Salem 53.4 #142/298 Greenville 54.0 #149/298 Jacksonville 59.4 #179/298

+ 3 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Asheville's 85.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 84.9 #294/298 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 86.3 #296/298 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 83.7 #293/298 Napa, CA 82.7 #292/298 Barnstable Town, MA 82.3 #291/298 Pittsfield, MA 81.5 #290/298 North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 81.4 #289/298 Fairbanks-College, AK 80.4 #288/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering North Carolina

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

South Carolina 29.2 #9/51 Tennessee 29.5 #13/51 Virginia 33.6 #16/51 Georgia 43.6 #35/51

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 Asheville's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (97.3) 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 Asheville, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment