NAICS 23

Construction in South Bend-Mishawaka, IN

Metro Market Score 48.4 (Challenging), ranked #176 of 342 metros. 580 establishments, 5,992 jobs.

Metro Market Score 48.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

South Bend-Mishawaka's construction market sits near the national metro median, ranking #176 of 342 with a market score of 48.4. No single metric stands out as an outlier, which means entry conditions depend more on your specific business model than on broad market forces.

Industry Concentration

36.0

LQ: 0.88

Rank #123 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

52.6

$73,016 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 39.2

Employment growth index

Rank #209 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

40.0

YoY wage change index

580 Construction Firms in South Bend-Mishawaka

580

Establishments

+2.5% YoY

5,992

Total Employment

+0.4% YoY

$73,016

Average Annual Wage

+7.0% YoY

0.88

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Indiana

#6 of 12

construction metros in state

Indiana state rank

#11 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

-3.0

better than median (51.4)

South Bend-Mishawaka vs Indiana Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to Indiana overall. The state ranks #11/51 for entry risk.

Measure	South Bend-Mishawaka	IN Statewide
Overall Score	48.4 Challenging	35.0 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#176 of 342 metros	#11 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 South Bend-Mishawaka

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 38.7 Information 41.5 Administrative and Support Services 47.0 Finance and Insurance 47.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 50.1 Other Services 53.8 Accommodation and Food Services 59.1 Retail Trade 60.4

Construction in Other Indiana Metros

Muncie 29.5 #37/342 Lafayette-West Lafayette 32.3 #54/342 Bloomington 37.2 #79/342 Columbus 40.4 #110/342 Elkhart-Goshen 44.3 #140/342 Fort Wayne 51.4 #209/342 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood 51.4 #210/342 Kokomo 56.5 #261/342 Michigan City-La Porte 59.4 #278/342 Terre Haute 64.1 #307/342

+ 1 more metros. View all in Indiana →

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of South Bend-Mishawaka's 48.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lewiston, ID 48.3 #175/342 Modesto, CA 48.2 #174/342 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 48.0 #173/342 Helena, MT 48.8 #177/342 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA 48.8 #178/342 Bangor, ME 47.9 #172/342 Bend, OR 47.8 #171/342 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 49.1 #179/342 Rapid City, SD 47.7 #170/342 Sioux Falls, SD 49.1 #180/342

Construction in States Bordering Indiana

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Michigan 28.0 #2/51 Kentucky 39.8 #19/51 Ohio 41.7 #24/51 Illinois 49.1 #34/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction 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 South Bend-Mishawaka's construction sector, the employment growth component (60.8) 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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment