NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Columbus, OH

Metro Market Score 78.4 (Difficult), ranked #327 of 331 metros. 3,454 establishments, 50,381 jobs.

Metro Market Score 78.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Finance and Insurance employment in Columbus contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom 10% at 14.5. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

91.2

LQ: 1.14

Rank #302 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

82.5

$111,190 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 14.5

Employment growth index

Rank #284 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

46.5

YoY wage change index

3,454 Finance and Insurance Firms in Columbus

3,454

Establishments

+1.1% YoY

50,381

Total Employment

-5.3% YoY

$111,190

Average Annual Wage

+6.4% YoY

1.14

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Ohio

#11 of 11

finance and insurance metros in state

Ohio state rank

#14 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+29.5

worse than median (48.9)

Columbus vs Ohio Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Ohio overall. The state ranks #14/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Columbus	OH Statewide
Overall Score	78.4 Difficult	48.2 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#327 of 331 metros	#14 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 Columbus

Construction 46.2 Retail Trade 46.9 Accommodation and Food Services 51.1 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 54.8 Other Services 62.2

Finance and Insurance in Other Ohio Metros

Mansfield 29.5 #45/331 Lima 31.2 #56/331 Sandusky 39.8 #104/331 Toledo 44.1 #137/331 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek 48.7 #161/331 Youngstown-Warren 48.9 #163/331 Canton-Massillon 51.2 #183/331 Springfield 56.8 #229/331 Cleveland 63.5 #265/331 Akron 67.2 #279/331

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Columbus's 78.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 78.3 #326/331 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 77.9 #325/331 Winston-Salem, NC 77.7 #324/331 Worcester, MA 77.7 #323/331 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA 79.1 #328/331 Omaha, NE 76.6 #322/331 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 76.3 #321/331 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 80.5 #329/331 Raleigh-Cary, NC 76.3 #320/331 Cedar Rapids, IA 75.8 #319/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Ohio

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

West Virginia 39.8 #2/51 Kentucky 40.0 #3/51 Indiana 45.4 #9/51 Pennsylvania 48.8 #19/51 Michigan 49.8 #23/51

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 Columbus's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (85.5) 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 Columbus, OH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment