Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Springfield, MO MSA — October 2026
Springfield finance pay splits: FP&A climbs, Credit Analyst falls.
Springfield's FP&A Manager pay rose to $123,348 while Credit Analyst pay fell to $41,804, a divergence playing out against a tight 3.7% metro unemployment rate.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Springfield metro unemployment: 3.7% — vs 4.1% national, 3.6% Missouri
- Metro weekly wages: $1,110 — vs $1,569 U.S. average (Q4 2025)
- CFO turnover rate: 18.3% — Highest since pandemic (Crist|Kolder)
- Finance-sector WARN filings, Springfield: 98 workers — Great Southern Bank, Springfield Mechanical Services
Key takeaways
FP&A Manager pay is pulling away from metro norms.
Advertised pay for FP&A Manager roles rose to a metro median of $123,348, up moderately and tracking the national increase to $130,000. Rising advertised pay against a backdrop of modest local job growth suggests employers are competing harder for a narrow pool of strategic finance talent, a sign of selective hiring pressure beyond simply filling vacancies.
Tax Specialist pay is repricing faster than most roles.
Metro Tax Specialist pay moved up significantly to $54,870, even as the role still trails the national median of $69,556 by a wide margin. Significant local movement in a role that typically sees incremental change may signal compliance-driven hiring pressure tied to year-end close and audit cycles.
Credit Analyst pay decline cuts against the tight-labor narrative.
Metro Credit Analyst advertised pay dropped significantly to $41,804, now less than 60% of the $71,397 national median. A declining rate in a market where overall unemployment sits near 3.7% is consistent with softening local credit and lending activity.
Controller pay is stable while peer roles move — a gap worth watching.
Controller advertised pay held flat at $105,913 locally while FP&A Manager and Senior Accountant pay both rose, narrowing the traditional pay differential between controllers and the roles beneath them. Flat Controller pay amid CFO turnover running at 18.3% nationally may suggest succession and retention risk is building quietly inside the metro's finance leadership bench.
Median advertised pay by role — Springfield, MO MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $89,752 | $105,913 | $105,913 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $65,457 | $77,613 | $82,000 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $64,458 | $84,271 | $89,649 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $34,522 | $40,395 | $42,640 | Stable | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $32,760 | $54,870 | $71,000 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst | $33,431 | $41,804 | $49,581 | Significant decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $98,270 | $123,348 | $135,000 | 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
Springfield's unemployment rate fell to the 3.2–3.3% range before settling at a still-tight 3.7% in September, a half-point drop that outpaces Missouri's own uptick to 3.6% and signals a metro labor pool that remains thin relative to employer demand. Steady but modest job growth — averaging 333 positions added per month in 2026 — combined with two WARN filings in the finance-adjacent sector (Great Southern Bank, 45 workers; Springfield Mechanical Services, 53 workers) points to localized disruption inside a broader market still running tighter than the nation's 4.1% rate.
What it means
Metro wage levels sitting well below national benchmarks ($1,110 weekly versus $1,569 nationally) mean Springfield-based finance functions compete for talent against remote and hybrid roles priced at metro-area or national rates, a gap that widens retention risk even as local unemployment stays low. National CFO turnover at 18.3% and finance talent shortages reported by 85% of CFOs surveyed (MAVI) suggest Springfield controllers and FP&A leaders should expect upward pressure on advertised pay for scarce skills even where local postings volume stays modest. Consider reviewing headcount cost models to account for a widening gap between metro pay levels and the national premium commanded by FP&A and analyst-track roles.
Looking ahead
Expected: Missouri's October jobs report is delayed due to data collection gaps, meaning Finance teams should plan month-end closing validation around incomplete state labor data and treat any early figures as provisional.
Emerging pressure point: Two finance-sector WARN filings in Springfield this year (Great Southern Bank, Springfield Mechanical Services) total 98 affected workers; watch whether released finance and accounting talent enters the local candidate pool and eases pressure on Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst postings.
Worth watching: Statewide financial activities employment dropped 700 jobs in September alongside a 4,100-job decline in professional/business services, a contraction that could either loosen Springfield's finance labor pool or reflect demand softening worth confirming against local postings data.
Potential inflection point: National finance leaders report 70% increasing use of contract talent in H2 2026; monitor whether Springfield employers follow this shift, which would affect headcount cost planning and introduce audit documentation gaps around contractor classification.
Sources
- Springfield Business Journal — Springfield metro recorded a 3.7% unemployment rate in September 2026
- Springfield Business Journal — Springfield metro gained an average of 333 jobs per month in 2026
- BLS / Springfield metro wage data — Q4 2025 Springfield metro weekly wages averaged $1,110 vs. $1,569 U.S. average
- MAVI — 85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages affecting operations
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance and accounting 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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