NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC

Metro Market Score 69.7 (Difficult), ranked #293 of 331 metros. 8,550 establishments, 78,991 jobs.

Metro Market Score 69.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national finance and insurance average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for finance and insurance in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria are tougher than average. The 69.7 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and moderate competition. Rank: #293 of 331 metros.

Industry Concentration

50.8

LQ: 0.61

Rank #168 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

98.2

$172,040 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 23.3

Employment growth index

Rank #255 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

47.3

YoY wage change index

8,550 Finance and Insurance Firms in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

8,550

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

78,991

Total Employment

-3.7% YoY

$172,040

Average Annual Wage

+6.7% YoY

0.61

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within District of Columbia

#1 of 1

finance and insurance metros in state

District of Columbia state rank

#13 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (69.7)

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria vs District of Columbia Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to District of Columbia overall. The state ranks #13/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	DC Statewide
Overall Score	69.7 Difficult	47.9 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#293 of 331 metros	#13 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 60.5 Information 66.2 Other Services 78.3

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria's 69.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 69.7 #292/331 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 70.0 #294/331 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 70.0 #295/331 Naples-Marco Island, FL 70.1 #296/331 Cheyenne, WY 70.1 #297/331 Rochester, NY 69.3 #291/331 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 69.3 #290/331 Mobile, AL 69.1 #289/331 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 69.0 #288/331 Green Bay, WI 70.5 #298/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering District of Columbia

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

Virginia 50.8 #26/51 Maryland 52.6 #30/51

Browse Finance and Insurance in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for finance and insurance 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria's finance and insurance sector, the wage competitiveness component (98.2) 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment