Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Salisbury, MD MSA — October 2026
Salisbury finance pay splits: FP&A gains, Credit Analyst pay retreats.
FP&A Manager advertised pay climbed to $142,552 against a $130,000 national median, while Credit Analyst pay fell significantly to $68,886 even as Wicomico County unemployment held near 4%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Wicomico County unemployment: 4.0% — Down 0.7 pts YoY, Aug 2026
- Maryland nonfarm payrolls: -8,800 — Aug–Sep 2026, despite falling unemployment
- CFO external hiring rate: 37.5% — Up from 35% in 2025, Crist|Kolder
- Maryland avg weekly wage: $1,283 — +2.4% YoY, Sept 2026
Key takeaways
FP&A Manager pay is pulling away from the national rate.
Metro median of $142,552 sits nearly $12,500 above the $130,000 national figure, a gap consistent with national CFO turnover data showing 37.5% external hiring rates and acute shortages in finance leadership talent. Budget for this role against current demand signals and this year's range.
Credit Analyst pay cuts look out of step with labor supply.
Metro median fell significantly to $68,886 while the national median held flat at $71,397, even as Wicomico County unemployment improved year over year. A shrinking local labor pool paired with falling advertised pay may invite longer time-to-fill or quality tradeoffs.
Maryland's payroll data is sending mixed signals finance teams should discount carefully.
State unemployment fell to 3.9% while nonfarm payrolls dropped 8,800 in September, a divergence Maryland labor officials attribute to survey volatility, with reliability still unconfirmed. Headcount models built on either data series alone risk overcorrecting in either direction.
Tax Specialist pay is rising locally but still trails the national rate by nearly $8,600.
Metro median climbed to $60,956 against a national median of $69,556 that rose significantly, suggesting Salisbury employers are playing catch-up on a role seeing pronounced wage pressure nationally. Tax season proximity makes this a near-term retention watch item.
Median advertised pay by role — Salisbury, MD MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $103,568 | $133,658 | $134,034 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $82,240 | $90,245 | $95,067 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $83,827 | $107,172 | $113,083 | Moderate decline | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $38,950 | $49,326 | $51,836 | Moderate decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $41,080 | $60,956 | $90,625 | Moderate increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst | $60,000 | $68,886 | $76,424 | Significant decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $117,571 | $142,552 | $150,259 | Moderate increase | $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
Wicomico County unemployment held near 4% in August, down 0.7 points year over year, even as Maryland's establishment survey shows payroll losses concentrated in healthcare, hospitality, and professional services — a divergence state labor officials attribute to survey volatility, pending a single clear trend. Salisbury's finance labor pool remains thin against this backdrop: Financial Analyst advertised pay fell to a metro median of $107,172 and Credit Analyst pay dropped significantly to $68,886, both moving against national medians that held stable, suggesting employer-side pullback in posted pay while demand for the roles themselves holds steady.
What it means
Falling advertised pay for Financial Analyst and Credit Analyst roles locally, against flat national pay for the same titles, points to employers testing lower offers in a market where candidate supply has tightened — a risky assumption given Wicomico's declining unemployment rate. Meanwhile FP&A Manager pay climbed to $142,552, a meaningful premium over the $130,000 national median, consistent with national reporting on elevated CFO turnover (18.3%) and finance talent shortages (85% of CFOs surveyed) pushing budget authority and scarcity value into senior planning roles. Consider reviewing whether recent Financial Analyst and Credit Analyst offers reflect local market softening or compressed budgets that risk losing candidates to flat-to-rising national pay elsewhere.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Maryland's next payroll revision confirms the 8,800-job September decline or reverses it, since labor officials have flagged heightened estimate volatility statewide. A confirmed decline would support more conservative headcount assumptions for Salisbury finance functions tied to regional employers.
Emerging pressure point: Credit Analyst and Financial Analyst advertised pay has moved down locally while national pay held steady; track whether open requisitions in these roles start taking longer to fill, which would signal the pay cuts outpaced what the local labor pool will accept.
Worth watching: National CFO turnover at 18.3% and 37.5% external hiring rates suggest senior finance vacancies carry real audit and close-cycle risk; monitor whether Salisbury-area employers follow the FP&A Manager pay premium trend to retain planning talent ahead of year-end close.
Potential inflection point: Maryland's FAMLI payroll contributions begin January 1, 2027; finance teams should start modeling the added payroll cost line now, well ahead of Q4 close, particularly for multi-jurisdiction employers already layering Montgomery, Howard, and Prince George's County minimum wage differentials.
Sources
- USA Facts/BLS — Wicomico County unemployment near 4%, down 0.7 points year over year
- Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond — Maryland payroll job losses concentrated in healthcare, hospitality, professional services
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover at 18.3%, external hiring rate 37.5%
- MAVI — 85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages
- Maryland Department of Labor — Maryland nonfarm payrolls fell 8,800 Aug-Sep despite falling unemployment
- Maryland Department of Labor — Maryland FAMLI contributions begin January 1, 2027
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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