Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Toledo, OH MSA — October 2026
Toledo finance pay climbs while manufacturing jobs disappear.
Financial Analyst advertised pay rose significantly to $83,814 in Toledo even as Ohio shed 5,000 jobs statewide in September and local WARN filings — including The Blade's 116-job notice — hit manufacturing and media roles while finance roles held steady.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Financial Analyst advertised pay (metro): $83,814 — Up significantly; national median $94,646 stable
- Ohio statewide job losses: -5,000 — September 2026, per Ohio Capital Journal
- Toledo MSA nonfarm employment: 305,900 — Down from 307,100 in October 2025
- CFO turnover rate (national): 18.3% — Highest since the pandemic, Crist|Kolder 2026
Key takeaways
Financial Analyst pay is outrunning the metro's broader job losses.
Advertised Financial Analyst pay climbed to a metro median of $83,814, a significant increase, even as Ohio shed 5,000 jobs statewide in September. Demand for analytical talent appears insulated from the manufacturing-driven contraction showing up in local WARN filings.
Tax Specialist pay signals a tightening niche market.
Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay rose significantly to $62,778, tracking a matching national increase to $69,556. Year-end close and 2027 tax planning cycles may intensify competition for this talent before Q1 filing season.
Manufacturing layoffs aren't translating into finance talent supply.
Recent WARN filings at Perstorp Polyols, Michigan Sugar, and The Blade point to production and media job losses, with finance professionals remaining largely unaffected. Organizations expecting layoff activity to ease finance hiring pressure should not count on it locally.
Controller and FP&A Manager pay sits flat against national gains.
Metro Controller pay ($107,162) and FP&A Manager pay ($125,000) remain stable while national medians edge upward ($115,420 and $130,000 respectively). Widening gaps at the senior finance level may create retention exposure as remote and hybrid roles pull local talent toward national pay scales.
Median advertised pay by role — Toledo, OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $95,883 | $107,162 | $112,500 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $70,117 | $77,672 | $84,202 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,170 | $83,814 | $84,987 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $35,299 | $41,658 | $44,740 | Stable | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $35,360 | $62,778 | $78,288 | 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
Toledo's finance talent pool is tightening against a backdrop of local manufacturing contraction — The Blade's October 23 WARN filing (116 jobs), coupled with Perstorp Polyols (50 jobs) and Michigan Sugar Company notices, signals that displaced workers skew toward production and operations roles while finance and accounting roles stay largely insulated. Metro nonfarm employment has softened slightly (307.1k to 305.9k since October 2025) while Ohio shed 5,000 jobs statewide in September, pressure that has not yet shown up as a finance hiring slowdown locally given advertised pay gains for Financial Analyst and Tax Specialist roles.
What it means
Metro Financial Analyst advertised pay rose significantly to $83,814 — a signal that Toledo employers are competing harder for analytical talent even as broader manufacturing employment contracts, which complicates headcount cost forecasting for FP&A teams building 2027 budgets. National CFO turnover at 18.3% and 85% of CFOs reporting finance talent shortages suggest vacancy risk extends beyond the C-suite into the analyst and tax specialist tiers where Toledo is already seeing upward pay pressure. Consider stress-testing 2027 compensation budgets against continued analyst and tax specialist pay growth, since the broader Ohio job losses may not cool finance-specific wage demand.
Looking ahead
Expected: The Blade's 116 WARN-notice layoffs complete by year-end 2026, adding media and administrative talent to the local labor pool. Watch whether any finance or accounting support staff from that cohort surface in the Toledo candidate pipeline.
Emerging pressure point: National CFO turnover is projected at 18.3% for 2026 with a 37.5% external hiring rate, the highest since the pandemic. Toledo finance leaders should assess succession depth for controller and FP&A leadership given thinner local senior-level pay movement.
Worth watching: Ohio's labor force participation rate (61.2%) trails the national rate (61.8%), tightening the pool available for analyst and tax specialist roles seeing local pay gains. Expect continued upward pressure on advertised pay for these roles through year-end hiring cycles.
Potential inflection point: Seventy percent of finance and accounting leaders nationally are increasing contract talent use in H2 2026. Monitor whether Toledo employers follow this shift, which would affect fixed-cost forecasting and introduce audit documentation considerations during close cycles.
Sources
- Yahoo News / Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — The Blade filed WARN notice affecting 116 jobs
- 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
- AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Toledo MSA nonfarm employment figures
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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