Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Kokomo, IN MSA — October 2026
Kokomo unemployment climbs while finance talent stays scarce.
Kokomo MSA unemployment has risen to 5.1% against Indiana's 3.4% and the national 4.1%, yet statewide accountant/auditor unemployment sits at just 1.0% and FP&A Manager pay nationally has pulled $18,000 ahead of the metro median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Kokomo MSA unemployment rate: 5.1% — vs 3.4% Indiana, 4.1% national (June 2026)
- FP&A Manager pay gap: $17,731 — Metro $112,269 (down) vs national $130,000 (up)
- Indiana accountant/auditor unemployment: 1.0% — May 2026, signals close/audit talent scarcity
- Projected new manufacturing jobs: 2,800 — ~8% of current Kokomo MSA employment
Key takeaways
Metro unemployment and finance talent scarcity are diverging sharply.
Kokomo's 5.1% unemployment rate sits well above Indiana's 3.4% and the national 4.1%, yet accountant/auditor unemployment statewide sits at just 1.0%. Finance and accounting hiring in Kokomo will feel tighter than headline metro unemployment suggests.
FP&A Manager pay gap with national market is widening.
Metro FP&A Manager advertised pay fell moderately to $112,269 while the national median rose to $130,000 — an $18,000 spread. Roles requiring broader strategic finance skill sets may require out-of-market compensation data to stay competitive for hires with mobility.
Tax Specialist pay is moving up locally, but the gap remains stark.
Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay rose moderately to $40,438 against a national median of $69,556 that moved up significantly. Local employers competing for tax talent against remote or hybrid national postings face a compensation structure that may no longer clear the market.
CFO turnover nationally raises succession stakes for smaller finance teams.
Crist|Kolder projects 18.3% CFO turnover in 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with 37.5% of replacements hired externally. Kokomo-based finance organizations with thin bench strength at the controller or FP&A level should weigh succession readiness against the cost of losing continuity during close cycles.
Median advertised pay by role — Kokomo, IN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller * | $91,519 | $115,000 | $122,550 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant * | $73,336 | $80,605 | $85,000 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst * | $67,600 | $84,133 | $92,976 | Stable | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist * | $36,034 | $43,108 | $49,480 | Stable | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $40,342 | $40,438 | $40,583 | Moderate increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $49,767 | $62,267 | $68,276 | Moderate increase | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $91,024 | $112,269 | $124,994 | Moderate decline | $130,000 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Kokomo MSA unemployment has climbed to 5.1% as of mid-2026, running well above both the national 4.1% rate and Indiana's 3.4%, even as local employment grew 3.5% year-over-year on manufacturing and healthcare hiring. Two announced factory expansions projected to add 2,800 jobs — nearly 8% of current metro employment — signal a labor market bifurcated between a tight industrial base and elevated frictional unemployment likely tied to automotive supply chain volatility.
What it means
Finance function headcount planning in Kokomo must account for a talent pool shaped by automotive-sector churn — Indiana's 1.0% accountant/auditor unemployment rate (May 2026) shows close and audit support remains scarce even where overall metro unemployment runs higher. FP&A Manager advertised pay has moved down moderately in the metro to $112,269 against a national median climbing to $130,000, a widening gap that complicates budgeting for finance leadership roles sourced regionally versus nationally. Consider reviewing whether current FP&A and controller-level compensation bands reflect this growing metro-to-national spread before the next hiring cycle exposes it.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Kokomo's unemployment rate has moved from 4.7% (November 2025) to 5.1% (June 2026) even as total employment grew — watch whether this reflects labor force re-entry or softening automotive-linked demand as Q4 data arrives.
Expected: The two announced factory expansions projected to add 2,800 jobs should begin showing in local job postings data over the next 60 days; Finance leaders supporting plant finance and controllership functions should anticipate competition for site-level finance talent.
Emerging pressure point: National finance leaders report 70% increasing contract talent use in H2 2026 — watch whether this trend reaches Kokomo's smaller finance teams, where contract staffing could strain audit documentation and control continuity during year-end close.
Potential inflection point: Indiana's statewide labor force contraction (-18,900 over the past year) combined with Kokomo's elevated unemployment may suggest workers are leaving the labor force instead of switching jobs — a dynamic that would tighten the pool of qualified finance candidates despite higher headline unemployment.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Kokomo MSA unemployment rate at 5.1% in June 2026
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — Metro employment grew 3.5% year-over-year, two factories to add 2,800 jobs
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Indiana DWD — Indiana accountant/auditor unemployment at 1.0% in May 2026
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, 37.5% external hire rate
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — Indiana labor force shrank approximately 18,900 over past year
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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