NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Metro Market Score 70.0 (Difficult), ranked #295 of 331 metros. 1,752 establishments, 9,750 jobs.

Metro Market Assessment

Metro Market Score 70.0
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 Charleston-North Charleston contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom quartile at 16.3. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration
51.4
LQ: 0.62
Rank #170 of 331 metros
Wage Competitiveness
88.2
$122,537 avg wage
Growth Trend
16.3
Employment growth index
Rank #278 of 331 metros
Wage Pressure
50.1
YoY wage change index

1,752 Finance and Insurance Firms in Charleston-North Charleston

1,752
Establishments
+6.8% YoY
9,750
Total Employment
-4.6% YoY
$122,537
Average Annual Wage
+7.8% YoY
0.62
Location Quotient
Below national avg
Within South Carolina
#7 of 7
finance and insurance metros in state
South Carolina state rank
#16 of 51
for finance and insurance entry risk
vs State Median
+19.1
worse than median (51.0)

Charleston-North Charleston vs South Carolina Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to South Carolina overall. The state ranks #16/51 for entry risk.

Measure Charleston-North Charleston SC Statewide
Overall Score 70.0 Difficult 48.4 Elevated
Score Type Metro Market Score Entry Risk Score
Rank #295 of 331 metros #16 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 Charleston-North Charleston

Finance and Insurance in Other South Carolina Metros

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Charleston-North Charleston's 70.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering South Carolina

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 Charleston-North Charleston's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (83.7) 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

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.