NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Wilmington, NC

Metro Market Score 39.7 (Moderate), ranked #102 of 331 metros. 882 establishments, 4,766 jobs.

Metro Market Score 39.7

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

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

💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth

Wilmington ranks in the upper half for finance and insurance market conditions, driven by above-average employment growth. With a market score of 39.7, conditions are relatively favorable compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

54.1

LQ: 0.63

Rank #179 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

76.7

$105,247 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 98.5

Employment growth index

Rank #6 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

32.9

YoY wage change index

882 Finance and Insurance Firms in Wilmington

882

Establishments

+33.6% YoY

4,766

Total Employment

+15.8% YoY

$105,247

Average Annual Wage

+1.1% YoY

0.63

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#6 of 15

finance and insurance metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#17 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

-3.2

better than median (43.0)

Wilmington 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	Wilmington	NC Statewide
Overall Score	39.7 Moderate	48.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#102 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 Wilmington

Construction 35.6 Other Services 38.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 40.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 41.9 Retail Trade 42.4 Accommodation and Food Services 50.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 61.5

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 Pinehurst-Southern Pines 41.8 #116/331 Fayetteville 43.0 #127/331 Asheville 59.2 #240/331 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 Wilmington's 39.7 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 39.8 #103/331 Sandusky, OH 39.8 #104/331 Visalia, CA 39.7 #101/331 Kingston, NY 40.0 #105/331 Sherman-Denison, TX 39.2 #100/331 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 39.1 #99/331 Greenville, NC 39.1 #97/331 Corvallis, OR 39.1 #98/331 Homosassa Springs, FL 39.0 #96/331 Wichita Falls, TX 40.5 #106/331

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 Wilmington's finance and insurance sector, the wage competitiveness component (76.7) 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 Wilmington, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment