NAICS 51

Information in Asheville, NC

Metro Market Score 64.8 (Difficult), ranked #257 of 294 metros. 476 establishments, 2,251 jobs.

Metro Market Score 64.8

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national information average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for information in Asheville are tougher than average. The 64.8 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #257 of 294 metros.

Industry Concentration

74.5

LQ: 0.65

Rank #219 of 294 metros

Wage Competitiveness

83.3

$114,272 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 34.7

Employment growth index

Rank #193 of 294 metros

Wage Pressure

28.7

YoY wage change index

476 Information Firms in Asheville

476

Establishments

-2.1% YoY

2,251

Total Employment

-4.5% YoY

$114,272

Average Annual Wage

+12.7% YoY

0.65

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#11 of 13

information metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#28 of 51

for information entry risk

vs State Median

+19.4

worse than median (45.4)

Asheville vs North Carolina Statewide

How this metro's information market compares to North Carolina overall. The state ranks #28/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Asheville	NC Statewide
Overall Score	64.8 Difficult	45.3 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#257 of 294 metros	#28 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 Asheville

Construction 56.7 Finance and Insurance 59.2 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 65.0 Retail Trade 72.8 Other Services 75.1 Accommodation and Food Services 85.4

Information in Other North Carolina Metros

Goldsboro 10.2 #2/294 Fayetteville 26.9 #45/294 Winston-Salem 34.6 #81/294 Jacksonville 36.4 #92/294 Pinehurst-Southern Pines 37.9 #102/294 Rocky Mount 44.4 #148/294 Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton 45.4 #157/294 Greenville 46.9 #169/294 Greensboro-High Point 49.0 #185/294 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia 56.8 #220/294

+ 2 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Information Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Asheville's 64.8 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 64.8 #258/294 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 64.9 #259/294 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN 64.3 #256/294 Anchorage, AK 64.2 #255/294 Tucson, AZ 64.1 #254/294 Worcester, MA 65.6 #260/294 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 64.0 #253/294 Corvallis, OR 66.2 #261/294 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC 66.2 #262/294 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 63.0 #252/294

Information in States Bordering North Carolina

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

Virginia 36.2 #9/51 South Carolina 46.3 #29/51 Tennessee 48.1 #37/51 Georgia 48.9 #39/51

Browse Information in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for information 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 Asheville's information sector, the wage competitiveness component (83.3) 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 Asheville, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment