{"schema_version": 1, "id": "eau-claire-wi-msa/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 190, "label": "Eau Claire, WI MSA", "slug": "eau-claire-wi-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T05:14:40.759129+00:00", "headline": "Eau Claire finance pay splits: analysts fall, tax and credit rise.", "headline_summary": "Financial Analyst advertised pay in Eau Claire fell to $74,360 against a stable $94,646 national median, while Tax Specialist pay climbed to $75,670 \u2014 above the national figure \u2014 amid 3.1% metro unemployment and a national CFO turnover rate of 18.3%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Eau Claire unemployment rate", "value": "3.1%", "context": "vs 4.1% national, 3.2% Wisconsin"}, {"label": "Financial Analyst pay gap", "value": "$74,360", "context": "vs $94,646 national median, down significantly"}, {"label": "CFO turnover rate", "value": "18.3%", "context": "Highest since pandemic (Crist|Kolder)"}, {"label": "Finance talent shortage", "value": "85%", "context": "CFOs reporting operational impact (MAVI)"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Local Financial Analyst pay is falling while national pay holds firm.", "body": "Metro median advertised pay for Financial Analyst roles dropped significantly to $74,360 against a stable $94,646 national figure \u2014 a 21% gap that may push remote-capable talent toward out-of-market opportunities. Widening spread suggests the role should be repriced against current national data."}, {"headline": "Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay is accelerating locally.", "body": "Both roles show significant upward movement in Eau Claire \u2014 Tax Specialist to $75,670 (above the $69,556 national median) and Credit Analyst to $51,251. Localized demand appears to be outpacing national trends, consistent with employers competing for a thin pool of compliance and credit talent in a 3.1% unemployment market."}, {"headline": "CFO turnover nationally raises local succession risk.", "body": "18.3% projected CFO turnover and a 37.5% external hire rate nationally mean Eau Claire finance leaders should expect vacancy risk to extend through close and audit windows if a departure occurs. Thin local bench strength in a 96,400-person labor force compounds the exposure versus larger metros."}, {"headline": "Contract finance staffing is rising nationally, with control implications.", "body": "70% of finance and accounting leaders report increasing contract talent use in H2 2026, a shift that eases headcount cost pressure but introduces documentation and segregation-of-duties questions during audit prep. Eau Claire's concentration of healthcare, education, and manufacturing employers may see this pattern emerge first in finance support roles."}], "local_conditions": "Eau Claire's unemployment rate sits at 3.1%, among the lowest third of small metro labor markets nationally, while nonfarm payrolls statewide slipped 13,700 in September even as 10,100 more Wisconsinites found work \u2014 a mismatch suggesting labor supply is tightening faster than job creation. Finance and professional services postings in the metro, including a $85,000\u2013$168,000 Audit Manager/Director listing at CLA, point to continued employer competition for scarce accounting talent even as broader state hiring stalls.", "implications": "Tight local labor supply collides with a national finance talent shortage \u2014 85% of CFOs report talent gaps and CFO turnover is running at 18.3%, the highest since the pandemic \u2014 which raises the probability that controller and FP&A vacancies in Eau Claire sit open through a full close or audit cycle. Falling advertised pay for Financial Analyst roles locally ($74,360, down significantly) against a stable national median ($94,646) suggests Eau Claire employers may be under-pricing analytical talent relative to the national market, a gap that risks losing candidates to remote-eligible roles. Consider reviewing Financial Analyst and Billing Specialist pay positioning against national medians before the next hiring cycle, particularly where roles are remote-capable and competing outside the metro.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected", "body": "Wisconsin's employment cost index and statewide wage trend (2.4% projected growth against steeper inflation) will shape 2027 budget cycles; expect finance leaders to revisit merit pools as real wage growth turns negative statewide."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "CLA's $85,000\u2013$168,000 Audit Manager/Director posting is a marker for senior public accounting pay in the metro \u2014 watch whether competing firms adjust postings in response over the next 60 days."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Wisconsin manufacturing employment remains 4% below pre-pandemic levels while construction gains jobs, a sectoral shift that could pull finance and operations talent toward growth industries and tighten the local accounting labor pool further."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National finance talent shortages (85% of CFOs affected) combined with Eau Claire's sub-4% unemployment suggest vacancy duration for Controller and FP&A roles may lengthen; monitor time-to-fill data before setting Q1 hiring timelines."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 102608.0, "metro_p50": 106296.0, "metro_p75": 110000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 115420.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 69819.5, "metro_p50": 83446.0, "metro_p75": 83613.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 87731.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 61714.0, "metro_p50": 74360.0, "metro_p75": 83505.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Billing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38480.0, "metro_p50": 40610.4, "metro_p75": 44720.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 49000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39436.0, "metro_p50": 75670.0, "metro_p75": 75708.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 69556.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 45790.5, "metro_p50": 51251.0, "metro_p75": 61052.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71397.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "FP&A Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 100074.0, "metro_p50": 116859.0, "metro_p75": 126976.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 130000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "USA Facts / Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Eau Claire metro unemployment rate at 3.1% in August 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics / Wisconsin DWD", "source_url": null, "statement": "Wisconsin nonfarm payrolls fell 13,700 in September 2026"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder Associates", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic"}, {"source_name": "MAVI", "source_url": null, "statement": "85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages affecting operations"}, {"source_name": "AFP FP&A Forum", "source_url": null, "statement": "70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026"}, {"source_name": "Marquette University Forecast / BLS", "source_url": null, "statement": "Wisconsin manufacturing employment 4% below pre-pandemic levels"}], "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.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "eau-claire-wi-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "eau-claire-wi-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:21:18.433646+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/eau-claire-wi-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/eau-claire-wi-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}