NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in St. Cloud, MN

Metro Market Score 58.9 (Challenging), ranked #239 of 331 metros. 310 establishments, 3,877 jobs.

Metro Market Score 58.9

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

St. Cloud scores 58.9 on the Metro Market Score for finance and insurance, placing it in the lower half. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

81.0

LQ: 0.91

Rank #268 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

61.0

$93,214 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 44.4

Employment growth index

Rank #185 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

33.7

YoY wage change index

310 Finance and Insurance Firms in St. Cloud

310

Establishments

+1.6% YoY

3,877

Total Employment

-1.3% YoY

$93,214

Average Annual Wage

+1.4% YoY

0.91

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Minnesota

#3 of 4

finance and insurance metros in state

Minnesota state rank

#11 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (58.9)

St. Cloud vs Minnesota Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Minnesota overall. The state ranks #11/51 for entry risk.

Measure	St. Cloud	MN Statewide
Overall Score	58.9 Challenging	46.6 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#239 of 331 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 St. Cloud

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 15.9 Accommodation and Food Services 39.7 Other Services 43.9 Retail Trade 54.1 Healthcare and Social Assistance 57.2 Information 57.9 Administrative and Support Services 60.4 Construction 62.4

Finance and Insurance in Other Minnesota Metros

Mankato 41.0 #110/331 Duluth 50.5 #178/331 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington 80.5 #329/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of St. Cloud's 58.9 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Springfield, MO 58.8 #238/331 Asheville, NC 59.2 #240/331 Iowa City, IA 59.2 #241/331 Bloomington, IL 59.3 #242/331 Tucson, AZ 59.4 #243/331 Urban Honolulu, HI 59.5 #244/331 Barnstable Town, MA 59.8 #245/331 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 58.0 #237/331 Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 57.9 #236/331 Utica-Rome, NY 57.9 #235/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Minnesota

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

Wisconsin 45.3 #8/51 South Dakota 50.1 #24/51 North Dakota 52.1 #28/51 Iowa 54.3 #35/51

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 St. Cloud's finance and insurance sector, the industry concentration component (81.0) 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 St. Cloud, MN MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment