NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in New Orleans-Metairie, LA

Metro Market Score 76.3 (Difficult), ranked #321 of 331 metros. 1,994 establishments, 13,327 jobs.

Metro Market Score 76.3

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

New Orleans-Metairie's finance and insurance sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 2.1). That contraction, combined with a 76.3 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

70.4

LQ: 0.74

Rank #233 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

79.2

$106,992 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 2.1

Employment growth index

Rank #325 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

47.8

YoY wage change index

1,994 Finance and Insurance Firms in New Orleans-Metairie

1,994

Establishments

-26.8% YoY

13,327

Total Employment

-21.0% YoY

$106,992

Average Annual Wage

+6.9% YoY

0.74

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Louisiana

#7 of 7

finance and insurance metros in state

Louisiana state rank

#6 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+23.0

worse than median (53.3)

New Orleans-Metairie vs Louisiana Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Louisiana overall. The state ranks #6/51 for entry risk.

Measure	New Orleans-Metairie	LA Statewide
Overall Score	76.3 Difficult	42.0 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#321 of 331 metros	#6 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 New Orleans-Metairie

Retail Trade 63.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 71.4 Administrative and Support Services 80.3 Accommodation and Food Services 91.9

Finance and Insurance in Other Louisiana Metros

Monroe 32.0 #60/331 Hammond 32.2 #62/331 Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux 37.5 #85/331 Slidell-Mandeville-Covington 53.3 #202/331 Shreveport-Bossier City 53.7 #206/331 Lafayette 60.6 #248/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of New Orleans-Metairie's 76.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Raleigh-Cary, NC 76.3 #320/331 Omaha, NE 76.6 #322/331 Cedar Rapids, IA 75.8 #319/331 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 75.3 #318/331 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 75.3 #317/331 Worcester, MA 77.7 #323/331 Winston-Salem, NC 77.7 #324/331 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 74.8 #316/331 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 77.9 #325/331 New Haven, CT 74.6 #315/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Louisiana

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

Arkansas 44.7 #7/51 Texas 50.4 #25/51 Mississippi 54.5 #36/51

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 New Orleans-Metairie's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (97.9) 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment