NAICS 72

Accommodation and Food Services in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Metro Market Score 53.4 (Challenging), ranked #141 of 298 metros. 9,786 establishments, 163,058 jobs.

Metro Market Score 53.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market⚡Rising Wages🌱Emerging Market

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue stands out for high accommodation and food services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 95.6 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 74.7 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

19.1

LQ: 0.86

Rank #57 of 298 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.6

$37,606 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 67.5

Employment growth index

Rank #98 of 298 metros

Wage Pressure

74.7

YoY wage change index

9,786 Accommodation and Food Services Firms in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

9,786

Establishments

+3.2% YoY

163,058

Total Employment

+1.3% YoY

$37,606

Average Annual Wage

+4.5% YoY

0.86

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Washington

#4 of 11

accommodation and food services metros in state

Washington state rank

#33 of 51

for accommodation and food services entry risk

vs State Median

-7.7

better than median (61.1)

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue vs Washington Statewide

How this metro's accommodation and food services market compares to Washington overall. The state ranks #33/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue	WA Statewide
Overall Score	53.4 Challenging	42.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#141 of 298 metros	#33 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue

Healthcare and Social Assistance 56.6 Retail Trade 60.7 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 62.5 Administrative and Support Services 67.7 Finance and Insurance 69.0 Other Services 69.3 Construction 74.5 Information 75.6 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 78.2

Accommodation and Food Services in Other Washington Metros

Yakima 41.3 #56/298 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater 43.8 #72/298 Walla Walla 46.1 #95/298 Longview-Kelso 56.9 #164/298 Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 61.1 #201/298 Kennewick-Richland 62.2 #209/298 Mount Vernon-Anacortes 65.8 #232/298 Spokane-Spokane Valley 68.4 #248/298 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard 69.2 #255/298 Bellingham 74.1 #278/298

Accommodation and Food Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue's 53.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Winston-Salem, NC 53.4 #142/298 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 53.3 #140/298 Lexington Park, MD 53.5 #143/298 Hattiesburg, MS 53.3 #139/298 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 53.6 #144/298 Omaha, NE 53.6 #145/298 Great Falls, MT 53.7 #146/298 Chico, CA 53.8 #147/298 Columbus, IN 53.8 #148/298 Eugene-Springfield, OR 53.0 #138/298

Accommodation and Food Services in States Bordering Washington

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

Idaho 26.2 #4/51 Oregon 42.8 #32/51

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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue's accommodation and food services sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.6) 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment