NAICS 52

Finance and Insurance in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Metro Market Score 74.4 (Difficult), ranked #312 of 331 metros. 2,573 establishments, 35,684 jobs.

Metro Market Score 74.4

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

Milwaukee-Waukesha scores 74.4 on the Metro Market Score for finance and insurance, placing it in the bottom 10%. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

88.8

LQ: 1.08

Rank #294 of 331 metros

Wage Competitiveness

90.3

$130,769 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 31.7

Employment growth index

Rank #227 of 331 metros

Wage Pressure

45.5

YoY wage change index

2,573 Finance and Insurance Firms in Milwaukee-Waukesha

2,573

Establishments

+2.4% YoY

35,684

Total Employment

-2.8% YoY

$130,769

Average Annual Wage

+6.0% YoY

1.08

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Wisconsin

#12 of 12

finance and insurance metros in state

Wisconsin state rank

#8 of 51

for finance and insurance entry risk

vs State Median

+17.7

worse than median (56.7)

Milwaukee-Waukesha vs Wisconsin Statewide

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

Measure	Milwaukee-Waukesha	WI Statewide
Overall Score	74.4 Difficult	45.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#312 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha

Accommodation and Food Services 37.3 Retail Trade 39.2 Construction 49.1 Other Services 51.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 53.9 Administrative and Support Services 54.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 58.5 Information 67.4 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 67.5

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 Appleton 65.1 #270/331 Green Bay 70.5 #298/331

+ 1 more metros. View all in Wisconsin →

Finance and Insurance Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Milwaukee-Waukesha's 74.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 74.4 #313/331 Trenton-Princeton, NJ 74.4 #314/331 St. Louis, MO 74.2 #311/331 New Haven, CT 74.6 #315/331 Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA 74.8 #316/331 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 75.3 #317/331 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX 75.3 #318/331 Cedar Rapids, IA 75.8 #319/331 Madison, WI 72.8 #310/331 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 72.8 #309/331

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 Milwaukee-Waukesha's finance and insurance sector, the wage competitiveness component (90.3) 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment