NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Rocky Mount, NC

Metro Market Score 52.0 (Challenging), ranked #131 of 298 metros. 280 establishments, 4,769 jobs.

Metro Market Score 52.0

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

Rocky Mount's accommodation and food services sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 13.8). That contraction, combined with a 52.0 market score, puts this metro in the upper half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

36.9

LQ: 0.96

Rank #110 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

9.1

$20,458 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 13.8

Employment growth index

Rank #258 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

73.0

YoY wage change index

280 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Rocky Mount

280

Establishments

+1.4% YoY

4,769

Total Employment

-2.6% YoY

$20,458

Average Annual Wage

+4.0% YoY

0.96

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#7 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

-1.5

better than median (53.4)

Rocky Mount 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	Rocky Mount	NC Statewide
Overall Score	52.0 Challenging	23.4 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#131 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 Rocky Mount

Finance and Insurance 25.5 Administrative and Support Services 29.7 Other Services 29.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 33.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 39.9 Construction 43.5 Information 44.4 Retail Trade 56.1

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 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 Rocky Mount's 52.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Manchester-Nashua, NH 51.8 #130/298 Missoula, MT 52.2 #132/298 Ogden, UT 51.5 #129/298 Rochester, NY 51.5 #128/298 Sebring, FL 51.5 #127/298 Flint, MI 51.5 #126/298 Mobile, AL 52.5 #133/298 College Station-Bryan, TX 51.4 #125/298 Utica-Rome, NY 51.3 #124/298 Lynchburg, VA 52.7 #134/298

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 Rocky Mount's accommodation and food services sector, the employment growth component (86.2) 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 Rocky Mount, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment