NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Metro Market Score 63.4 (Difficult), ranked #217 of 298 metros. 2,283 establishments, 47,558 jobs.

Metro Market Score 63.4

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📈Rapid Growth⚡Rising Wages

Wage costs in Charleston-North Charleston's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 86.2 and rising pressure at 73.0. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

87.6

LQ: 1.35

Rank #261 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

86.2

$31,432 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 82.2

Employment growth index

Rank #54 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

73.0

YoY wage change index

2,283 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Charleston-North Charleston

2,283

Establishments

+4.4% YoY

47,558

Total Employment

+2.6% YoY

$31,432

Average Annual Wage

+4.0% YoY

1.35

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within South Carolina

#4 of 6

accommodation and food services metros in state

South Carolina state rank

#9 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (63.4)

Charleston-North Charleston vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #9/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Charleston-North Charleston	SC Statewide
Overall Score	63.4 Difficult	29.2 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#217 of 298 metros	#9 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 Charleston-North Charleston

Healthcare and Social Assistance 36.4 Retail Trade 49.4 Construction 49.8 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 58.6 Other Services 59.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.7 Administrative and Support Services 64.4 Finance and Insurance 70.0 Information 73.8

Accommodation and Food Services in Other South Carolina Metros

Florence 47.5 #99/298 Greenville-Anderson-Greer 50.7 #121/298 Sumter 52.9 #136/298 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal 76.8 #283/298 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach 86.3 #296/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charleston-North Charleston's 63.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Naples-Marco Island, FL 63.3 #216/298 Farmington, NM 63.2 #215/298 Providence-Warwick, RI 63.2 #214/298 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 63.9 #218/298 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 62.8 #213/298 Wheeling, WV 64.0 #219/298 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 62.6 #212/298 Bakersfield-Delano, CA 64.2 #220/298 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 62.4 #211/298 Stockton-Lodi, CA 64.5 #221/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering South Carolina

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

North Carolina 23.4 #2/51 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 Charleston-North Charleston's accommodation and food services sector, the industry concentration component (87.6) 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment