NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Asheville, NC

Metro Market Score 59.2 (Challenging), ranked #240 of 331 metros. 764 establishments, 3,328 jobs.

Metro Market Score 59.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

Asheville's finance and insurance sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 3.6). That contraction, combined with a 59.2 market score, puts this metro in the lower half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

16.9

LQ: 0.44

Rank #56 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

62.8

$94,094 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 3.6

Employment growth index

Rank #320 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

51.7

YoY wage change index

764 Finance and Insurance Firms in Asheville

764

Establishments

-11.6% YoY

3,328

Total Employment

-14.5% YoY

$94,094

Average Annual Wage

+8.4% YoY

0.44

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#9 of 15

finance and insurance metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#17 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+16.2

worse than median (43.0)

Asheville vs North Carolina Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to North Carolina overall. The state ranks #17/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Asheville	NC Statewide
Overall Score	59.2 Challenging	48.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#240 of 331 metros	#17 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 Asheville

Construction 56.7 Information 64.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 65.0 Retail Trade 72.8 Other Services 75.1 Accommodation and Food Services 85.4

Finance and Insurance in Other North Carolina Metros

Jacksonville 24.0 #17/331 Rocky Mount 25.5 #22/331 Goldsboro 27.5 #29/331 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 33.1 #64/331 Greenville 39.1 #97/331 Wilmington 39.7 #102/331 Pinehurst-Southern Pines 41.8 #116/331 Fayetteville 43.0 #127/331 Burlington 61.4 #252/331 Durham-Chapel Hill 62.0 #259/331

+ 4 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Asheville's 59.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

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 St. Cloud, MN 58.9 #239/331 Springfield, MO 58.8 #238/331 Barnstable Town, MA 59.8 #245/331 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA 60.0 #246/331 Dubuque, IA 60.1 #247/331 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 58.0 #237/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering North Carolina

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

South Carolina 48.4 #16/51 Virginia 50.8 #26/51 Tennessee 53.4 #33/51 Georgia 56.4 #40/51

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 Asheville's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (96.4) 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 Asheville, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment