NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Metro Market Score 40.0 (Moderate), ranked #49 of 298 metros. 1,423 establishments, 24,606 jobs.

Metro Market Score 40.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

🌱Emerging Market

Durham-Chapel Hill ranks in the top quartile for accommodation and food services market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 40.0, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

5.0

LQ: 0.79

Rank #15 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

67.5

$27,866 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 72.8

Employment growth index

Rank #82 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

68.6

YoY wage change index

1,423 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Durham-Chapel Hill

1,423

Establishments

-0.3% YoY

24,606

Total Employment

+1.7% YoY

$27,866

Average Annual Wage

+2.7% YoY

0.79

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#2 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

-13.4

better than median (53.4)

Durham-Chapel Hill 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	Durham-Chapel Hill	NC Statewide
Overall Score	40.0 Moderate	23.4 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#49 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 Durham-Chapel Hill

Construction 31.9 Retail Trade 40.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 40.8 Other Services 49.7 Administrative and Support Services 50.5 Finance and Insurance 62.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 66.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 67.4 Information 80.0

Accommodation and Food Services in Other North Carolina Metros

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 30.8 #16/298 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 Fayetteville 60.0 #184/298

+ 3 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Durham-Chapel Hill's 40.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Chambersburg, PA 39.8 #48/298 St. Cloud, MN 39.7 #47/298 Madison, WI 40.3 #50/298 Michigan City-La Porte, IN 40.5 #51/298 Hammond, LA 40.5 #52/298 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 40.7 #53/298 Fresno, CA 39.2 #46/298 Pittsburgh, PA 41.0 #54/298 Jackson, MI 39.0 #45/298 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 38.8 #44/298

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 Durham-Chapel Hill's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (67.5) 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment