Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Mansfield, OH MSA — October 2026
Mansfield finance leadership pay climbs while entry-tier roles stall.
Metro Controller pay rose to $110,000 and Tax Specialist pay hit $77,911 — both outpacing national gains — even as Financial Analyst pay held flat at $72,450 and Richland County unemployment ticked up to 4.0%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Richland County unemployment: 4.0% — Up from 3.9% in June; vs. 3.4% statewide
- CFO turnover rate: 18.3% — Highest since pandemic, per Crist|Kolder
- Ohio employment cost index: 3.4% YoY — Real compensation costs fell 0.4% after inflation
- Ohio September job losses: -5,000 jobs — Statewide pullback amid 3.7% inflation
Key takeaways
Controller pay is outrunning the national trend.
Metro Controller advertised pay moved up significantly to $110,000, narrowing the gap with the $115,420 national median faster than typical for this metro. That pattern, paired with 18.3% national CFO turnover, suggests Mansfield employers are pricing in retention risk at the top of finance ahead of any one-time vacancy.
Tax Specialist pay now exceeds the national median.
Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay of $77,911 sits above the $69,556 national figure, both rising significantly — an unusual local premium for a role that typically prices at or below national rates. Current conditions suggest a tightening local pool for tax expertise ahead of 2027 budget and audit cycles.
Entry and mid-tier finance roles aren't keeping pace.
Financial Analyst pay is flat at $72,450, well below the $94,646 national median, and Billing Specialist pay fell to $37,440 locally against a stable $49,000 nationally. Bifurcated pressure like this can widen internal pay compression between staff and leadership tiers, complicating promotion-ladder budgeting.
Statewide job losses haven't reached Mansfield's finance sector yet.
Ohio shed 5,000 jobs in September with financial activities nationally down 7,000, yet Richland County unemployment remains modest at 4.0% and local WARN filings are absent. Finance headcount planning should treat the metro as still tight, since statewide softening has not yet reached local hiring conditions.
Median advertised pay by role — Mansfield, OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $97,131 | $110,000 | $110,000 | Significant increase | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $76,095 | $85,000 | $100,000 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,441 | $72,450 | $72,641 | Stable | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $37,440 | $37,440 | $45,760 | Moderate decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $38,562 | $77,911 | $79,404 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $52,042 | $65,947 | $75,166 | Moderate increase | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $102,056 | $125,000 | $133,797 | Stable | $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
Richland County unemployment sits at 4.0% in September, slightly above the state's 3.4% and reflecting Ohio's broader September pullback of 5,000 jobs, even as the metro's labor force stayed near 52,300. Manufacturing contraction continues to dominate state WARN activity while Mansfield itself has filed no notable notices this cycle, leaving local Finance employers competing for talent against a shrinking statewide labor pool, with no local layoffs adding to that competition.
What it means
National CFO turnover near 18.3% and an 85% finance-talent-shortage rate among CFOs surveyed nationally are landing in a metro where Controller and Tax Specialist advertised pay are both climbing sharply — a sign that Mansfield employers are already bidding up scarce finance leadership and technical talent ahead of broader wage data. Flat Financial Analyst and declining Billing Specialist advertised pay suggest budget pressure is concentrated at the top of the finance org chart, which complicates flat-rate headcount cost models built on prior years. Consider reviewing FTE cost forecasts by role level alongside department average, since Controller and Tax Specialist lines are absorbing most of the local pay pressure.
Looking ahead
Expected data release: ODJFS publishes October metro-level unemployment data November 24 — the first read on whether Richland County's uptick from 3.9% to 4.0% continues or reverses. Build this into Q4 headcount cost forecasts before year-end budget lock.
Emerging pressure point: National employment cost index rose 3.4% year-over-year but real compensation costs fell 0.4% after inflation, a gap that may force local finance leaders to revisit whether advertised pay increases for Controller and Tax Specialist roles are keeping real purchasing power flat or actually improving it.
Worth watching: 70% of finance and accounting leaders nationally are increasing contract talent use in H2 2026. Watch whether Mansfield employers — OhioHealth, Cardinal Health, Owens Corning among the region's larger employers — begin substituting contract finance staff for FTEs ahead of close and audit cycles, which affects both cost modeling and control documentation.
Potential inflection point: Ohio's labor force participation rate of 61.2% trails the national 61.8%, tightening the available local talent pool. If this gap widens further, Controller and Tax Specialist pay premiums already visible in Mansfield may extend further into mid-level finance roles over the next two quarters.
Sources
- Ohio Department of Job & Family Services — Richland County unemployment rate at 4.0% in September 2026
- Ohio Capital Journal — Ohio shed 5,000 jobs in September 2026
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- MAVI — 85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Employment cost index rose 3.4%, real compensation fell 0.4%
- AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026
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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