NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Burlington-South Burlington, VT

Metro Market Score 60.5 (Difficult), ranked #191 of 298 metros. 596 establishments, 9,785 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.5

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

Wage costs in Burlington-South Burlington's accommodation and food services sector are well above the metro average, with wage competitiveness at 83.2 and rising pressure at 71.0. New entrants should factor higher labor costs into their financial projections for this market.

Industry Concentration

22.1

LQ: 0.88

Rank #66 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

83.2

$30,422 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 33.6

Employment growth index

Rank #199 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

71.0

YoY wage change index

596 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Burlington-South Burlington

596

Establishments

+1.5% YoY

9,785

Total Employment

-0.6% YoY

$30,422

Average Annual Wage

+3.4% YoY

0.88

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Vermont

#1 of 1

accommodation and food services metros in state

Vermont state rank

#43 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (60.5)

Burlington-South Burlington vs Vermont Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Vermont overall. The state ranks #43/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Burlington-South Burlington	VT Statewide
Overall Score	60.5 Difficult	51.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#191 of 298 metros	#43 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 Burlington-South Burlington

Construction 48.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 51.5 Information 57.2 Finance and Insurance 64.5 Other Services 65.9 Retail Trade 67.3

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Burlington-South Burlington's 60.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Sherman-Denison, TX 60.5 #192/298 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 60.6 #193/298 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 60.4 #190/298 Punta Gorda, FL 60.6 #194/298 Hinesville, GA 60.6 #195/298 Cheyenne, WY 60.3 #189/298 Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 60.6 #196/298 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 60.6 #197/298 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 60.2 #187/298 Jacksonville, FL 60.2 #188/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Vermont

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

Massachusetts 28.4 #7/51 New Hampshire 28.8 #8/51 New York 58.6 #48/51

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 Burlington-South Burlington's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (83.2) 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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment