NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Metro Market Score 72.8 (Difficult), ranked #309 of 331 metros. 3,777 establishments, 40,970 jobs.

Metro Market Score 72.8

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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson are tougher than average. The 72.8 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #309 of 331 metros.

Industry Concentration

68.9

LQ: 0.74

Rank #228 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.5

$148,628 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 27.5

Employment growth index

Rank #241 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

49.9

YoY wage change index

3,777 Finance and Insurance Firms in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

3,777

Establishments

-1.0% YoY

40,970

Total Employment

-3.1% YoY

$148,628

Average Annual Wage

+7.7% YoY

0.74

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Maryland

#4 of 4

finance and insurance metros in state

Maryland state rank

#30 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+18.3

worse than median (54.5)

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs Maryland Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Maryland overall. The state ranks #30/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson	MD Statewide
Overall Score	72.8 Difficult	52.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#309 of 331 metros	#30 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Accommodation and Food Services 45.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 47.8 Retail Trade 48.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 58.6 Construction 61.5 Administrative and Support Services 61.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 63.3

Finance and Insurance in Other Maryland Metros

Lexington Park 36.7 #81/331 Salisbury 43.0 #128/331 Hagerstown-Martinsburg 54.5 #215/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's 72.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Madison, WI 72.8 #310/331 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 72.7 #308/331 Fargo, ND 72.7 #307/331 Manchester-Nashua, NH 72.5 #306/331 Columbia, MO 72.3 #304/331 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL 72.3 #305/331 Greensboro-High Point, NC 72.1 #303/331 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 72.0 #302/331 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 72.0 #301/331 St. Louis, MO 74.2 #311/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Maryland

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

West Virginia 39.8 #2/51 District of Columbia 47.9 #13/51 Pennsylvania 48.8 #19/51 Virginia 50.8 #26/51 Delaware 57.7 #44/51

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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's finance and insurance sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.5) 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment