Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: OH NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — October 2026
Nonmetro Ohio finance pay falls as the talent pool shrinks.
FP&A Manager pay in nonmetro Ohio has dropped to $107,369 against a rising $130,000 national median, even as the state's labor force has shrunk by roughly 80,000 workers over the past year.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Ohio unemployment rate: 3.4% — Up from 3.3% in Aug; vs 4.1% national
- Ohio labor force: 5.86M — Down from 5.94M a year earlier
- FP&A Manager advertised pay (metro): $107,369 — vs $130,000 national, down significantly
- Ohio WARN-affected workers (2026): 7,207 — Down 47% from 2025; manufacturing led
Key takeaways
FP&A Manager pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro advertised pay for FP&A Manager sits at $107,369, down significantly, against a national median of $130,000 that is up moderately. That 18% metro-to-national gap signals nonmetro employers are not competing on the same terms for scarce planning talent, raising flight risk for any incumbent benchmarking outside the region.
Tax Specialist pay divergence is the sharpest signal this month.
Metro median of $41,763 compares to a national figure of $69,556, a gap of nearly 40% and moving in opposite directions — down significantly locally, up significantly nationally. Current conditions suggest local employers may be underpricing a role facing national wage pressure, a risk heading into year-end tax season staffing.
Statewide labor force shrinkage complicates headcount planning.
Ohio's civilian labor force fell from roughly 5.94 million to 5.86 million year over year even as unemployment hit series-low territory in August. Low unemployment paired with shrinking supply is consistent with a market where backfilling finance vacancies takes longer and costs more, regardless of posted pay levels.
Controller pay holds steady against a softening white-collar backdrop.
Metro Controller pay ($112,366) and national pay ($115,420) are both up moderately, a contrast to national financial-activities job losses (-7,000 in September) and Ohio's 5,000-job statewide decline. Stability here may reflect continued demand for close and audit oversight even as adjacent finance roles see pay compression.
Median advertised pay by role — OH NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $93,941 | $112,366 | $120,000 | Moderate increase | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $71,432 | $81,880 | $84,579 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,599 | $85,532 | $90,000 | Stable | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $34,699 | $38,438 | $42,802 | Significant decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $30,898 | $41,763 | $44,258 | Significant decline | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst | $50,000 | $59,363 | $59,930 | Moderate decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager | $97,395 | $107,369 | $109,874 | Significant decline | $130,000 |
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
Ohio's nonmetro labor market enters October data limbo — official ODJFS figures won't post until November 20 — but the trailing signal is clear: August's record-low 3.3% statewide unemployment rate sits alongside a shrinking labor force, down roughly 80,000 from a year earlier, while September's statewide loss of 5,000 jobs and an uptick to 3.4% unemployment suggest the tightening has started to reverse. Manufacturing contraction (23 of Ohio's 64 WARN filings this year, 3,159 workers) and inflation outpacing wages are converging on rural and small-town labor pools that already had less depth than Ohio's metro counties.
What it means
Finance functions in nonmetro Ohio are budgeting into a labor market that looks tight on paper but is quietly losing participants, which complicates headcount cost models built on assumptions of stable or growing local supply. Statewide financial activities job losses (-7,000 nationally, per BLS September data) paired with falling advertised pay for FP&A Manager ($107,369 metro, down significantly) and Credit Analyst roles locally point to softening demand for finance talent even as skilled-worker scarcity persists elsewhere in the economy. Consider stress-testing 2027 FTE cost forecasts against both a continued labor force contraction and the possibility that finance-specific hiring slows faster than the broader local market.
Looking ahead
Expected data release: ODJFS publishes October county and metro unemployment data November 20-24, the first real read on whether September's statewide softening extended into nonmetro counties. Finance leaders should hold October headcount cost assumptions loosely until that release lands.
Emerging pressure point: Manufacturing WARN activity has concentrated job losses in rural Ohio counties this year (23 filings, 3,159 workers statewide). Watch whether displaced manufacturing workers shift into adjacent administrative or finance-support roles, which could ease entry-level hiring pressure in nonmetro counties.
Worth watching: National CFO turnover is tracking at 18.3% for 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with external hiring rates climbing to 37.5%. Nonmetro finance teams with thin succession benches should weigh retention investment against the cost and timeline risk of an external search during close or audit cycles.
Potential inflection point: Ohio's labor force participation rate (61.2%) trails the national rate (61.8%) and shows no sign of closing. If that gap widens further, finance functions competing for analyst and specialist talent against metro Ohio employers may need to reassess whether nonmetro pay positioning remains viable.
Sources
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Ohio unemployment at 3.3% in August, record low in series
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Ohio civilian labor force fell from ~5.94M to ~5.86M year over year
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Financial activities sector lost 7,000 jobs nationally in September
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — October Ohio county/metro unemployment data releases Nov 20-24
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- layoffdata.com — Ohio WARN filings totaled 64 notices, 7,207 workers in 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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