NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Metro Market Score 74.4 (Difficult), ranked #313 of 331 metros. 1,347 establishments, 24,524 jobs.

Metro Market Assessment

Metro Market Score 74.4
Favorable 0-35
Moderate 35-48
Challenging 48-60
Difficult 60+
Difficult

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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga's finance and insurance sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 15.4). That contraction, combined with a 74.4 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration
89.7
LQ: 1.13
Rank #297 of 331 metros
Wage Competitiveness
70.1
$97,921 avg wage
Growth Trend
15.4
Employment growth index
Rank #281 of 331 metros
Wage Pressure
45.5
YoY wage change index

1,347 Finance and Insurance Firms in Buffalo-Cheektowaga

1,347
Establishments
-0.4% YoY
24,524
Total Employment
-4.9% YoY
$97,921
Average Annual Wage
+6.0% YoY
1.13
Location Quotient
Above national avg
Within New York
#11 of 12
finance and insurance metros in state
New York state rank
#49 of 51
for finance and insurance entry risk
vs State Median
+16.5
worse than median (57.9)

Buffalo-Cheektowaga vs New York Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to New York overall. The state ranks #49/51 for entry risk.

Measure Buffalo-Cheektowaga NY Statewide
Overall Score 74.4 Difficult 65.4 High
Score Type Metro Market Score Entry Risk Score
Rank #313 of 331 metros #49 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga

Finance and Insurance in Other New York Metros

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Buffalo-Cheektowaga's 74.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering New York

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

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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (84.6) 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

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.