NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC

Metro Market Score 63.5 (Difficult), ranked #264 of 331 metros. 5,880 establishments, 98,506 jobs.

Metro Market Score 63.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

🏭Industry Hub💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia is a specialized hub for finance and insurance, with a location quotient of 1.81 and industry concentration in the bottom quartile. Higher-than-average firm density means more competition for talent and customers, but also a deeper local supply chain and client pool.

Industry Concentration

99.1

LQ: 1.81

Rank #328 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

96.7

$155,750 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 77.6

Employment growth index

Rank #75 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

39.1

YoY wage change index

5,880 Finance and Insurance Firms in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia

5,880

Establishments

+1.7% YoY

98,506

Total Employment

+1.8% YoY

$155,750

Average Annual Wage

+3.5% YoY

1.81

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within North Carolina

#12 of 15

finance and insurance metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#17 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+20.5

worse than median (43.0)

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia 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	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia	NC Statewide
Overall Score	63.5 Difficult	48.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#264 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia

Retail Trade 50.4 Other Services 55.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 55.5 Construction 56.0 Information 56.8 Administrative and Support Services 66.0

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 Asheville 59.2 #240/331 Burlington 61.4 #252/331

+ 4 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia's 63.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Cleveland, OH 63.5 #265/331 Salem, OR 64.0 #266/331 Grand Island, NE 62.9 #263/331 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 62.8 #262/331 Lewiston-Auburn, ME 62.8 #261/331 Ithaca, NY 62.4 #260/331 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 64.5 #267/331 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 64.6 #268/331 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 64.7 #269/331 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 62.0 #259/331

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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia's finance and insurance sector, the industry concentration component (99.1) 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment