NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Appleton, WI

Metro Market Score 65.1 (Difficult), ranked #270 of 331 metros. 449 establishments, 4,709 jobs.

Metro Market Score 65.1

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

Market conditions for finance and insurance in Appleton are tougher than average. The 65.1 market score reflects a combination of moderate wages, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #270 of 331 metros.

Industry Concentration

82.5

LQ: 0.93

Rank #273 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

57.7

$91,758 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 30.2

Employment growth index

Rank #232 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

45.5

YoY wage change index

449 Finance and Insurance Firms in Appleton

449

Establishments

+3.5% YoY

4,709

Total Employment

-2.8% YoY

$91,758

Average Annual Wage

+6.0% YoY

0.93

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Wisconsin

#9 of 12

finance and insurance metros in state

Wisconsin state rank

#8 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+8.4

worse than median (56.7)

Appleton vs Wisconsin Statewide

How this metro's finance and insurance market compares to Wisconsin overall. The state ranks #8/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Appleton	WI Statewide
Overall Score	65.1 Difficult	45.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#270 of 331 metros	#8 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 Appleton

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 27.7 Accommodation and Food Services 32.0 Retail Trade 39.0 Administrative and Support Services 68.5 Construction 69.6

Finance and Insurance in Other Wisconsin Metros

Kenosha 29.0 #42/331 Janesville-Beloit 32.0 #59/331 Fond du Lac 34.0 #69/331 Racine-Mount Pleasant 38.5 #92/331 Eau Claire 49.5 #169/331 Oshkosh-Neenah 53.0 #196/331 Sheboygan 56.7 #228/331 Wausau 60.6 #249/331 Green Bay 70.5 #298/331 Madison 72.8 #310/331

+ 1 more metros. View all in Wisconsin →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Appleton's 65.1 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Boise City, ID 65.4 #271/331 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 64.7 #269/331 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 64.6 #268/331 Reading, PA 65.6 #272/331 Burlington-South Burlington, VT 64.5 #267/331 Providence-Warwick, RI 66.0 #273/331 Salem, OR 64.0 #266/331 Cleveland, OH 63.5 #265/331 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC 63.5 #264/331 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 66.8 #274/331

Finance and Insurance in States Bordering Wisconsin

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

Illinois 46.2 #10/51 Minnesota 46.6 #11/51 Michigan 49.8 #23/51 Iowa 54.3 #35/51

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 Appleton's finance and insurance sector, the employment growth component (69.8) 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 Appleton, WI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment