{"schema_version": 1, "id": "grand-forks-nd-mn-msa/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 207, "label": "Grand Forks, ND-MN MSA", "slug": "grand-forks-nd-mn-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T05:19:49.881862+00:00", "headline": "Finance pay splits: planning roles surge, transactional roles stall.", "headline_summary": "Grand Forks Controller pay climbed to $105,000 and FP&A Manager to $130,923, both significant increases, while Tax Specialist pay fell to $60,781 against a rising $69,556 national median.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "2.8%", "context": "vs 1.8% statewide, 4.1% national (Aug/Sept 2026)"}, {"label": "ND Finance & Insurance job openings", "value": "328", "context": "down 10.1% YoY from 365 (Sept 2025)"}, {"label": "FP&A Manager advertised pay", "value": "$130,923", "context": "up significantly, metro now exceeds national median"}, {"label": "National CFO turnover rate", "value": "18.3%", "context": "highest since pandemic (Crist|Kolder, Oct 2026)"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Controller and FP&A pay are diverging from the rest of finance.", "body": "Controller advertised pay rose to a metro median of $105,000 and FP&A Manager to $130,923 \u2014 both significant increases \u2014 while Senior Accountant, Financial Analyst, Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst held flat or declined. Budget-cycle and planning talent is being priced at a premium even as transactional finance roles see no comparable pressure."}, {"headline": "Fewer finance job openings doesn't mean less hiring urgency.", "body": "North Dakota Finance & Insurance job openings fell 10.1% year-over-year to 328 in September, even as sector employment grew 1.7%. This pattern is consistent with employers filling fewer but more targeted roles \u2014 raising the bar for candidates and lengthening searches for specialized positions like Controller and FP&A Manager."}, {"headline": "Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay softened against a rising national market.", "body": "Metro Tax Specialist pay fell to $60,781 while the national median climbed to $69,556 \u2014 a widening gap of nearly $9,000. Metro Credit Analyst pay also declined to $65,686 against a stable national figure, suggesting local employers may be underpricing these roles relative to where national demand is heading."}, {"headline": "CFO turnover risk compounds an already thin local labor pool.", "body": "National CFO turnover is projected at 18.3% for 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with external hiring rates climbing to 37.5%. In a metro with 2.8% unemployment and limited bench depth, a senior finance departure during close or audit season carries outsized disruption risk."}], "local_conditions": "Grand Forks metro unemployment sat at 2.8% in August against a near-record-tight 1.8% statewide rate, reflecting a labor pool with little slack even as North Dakota's Finance & Insurance sector posted job openings down 10.1% year-over-year to 328 postings. Employment growth has stalled locally \u2014 flat in August after 1.1% year-over-year growth \u2014 a pattern consistent with employers hitting capacity limits while demand for finance talent holds steady.", "implications": "Finance & Insurance employment grew 1.7% statewide even as sector GDP declined, and job openings in the sector fell double digits year-over-year \u2014 a combination that suggests employers are consolidating roles and raising selectivity while holding headcount steady, while still paying a $34,153 mean wage premium over the state average to retain who they have. Controller and FP&A Manager advertised pay climbed significantly locally this month (Controller to $105,000, FP&A Manager to $130,923), signaling that budget-cycle and forecasting talent commands a premium even as broader hiring volume softens. Current conditions suggest reviewing retention risk for senior finance roles ahead of year-end close and FY27 budget cycles, where replacement costs now exceed the cost of a targeted retention adjustment.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected", "body": "Year-end close and FY27 budget cycles will test retention in senior finance roles precisely when Controller and FP&A Manager pay is already climbing. Watch whether counteroffers or retention adjustments appear in advertised pay data through Q1."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Finance & Insurance job openings dropped 10.1% year-over-year statewide even as broader North Dakota job openings exceed 12,000. Track whether this reflects sector-specific caution or simply tighter role targeting, as either has different implications for recruiting budget allocation."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Metro Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay are falling even as national medians hold or rise, widening the gap local employers must close to compete for talent willing to relocate or work remote. Expect retention friction in these roles if the gap continues to widen."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "70% of finance and accounting leaders nationally are increasing contract talent use in H2 2026. Watch whether Grand Forks employers follow this shift given the metro's thin full-time candidate pool, and what that means for audit documentation and control continuity."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 85000.0, "metro_p50": 105000.0, "metro_p75": 105000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 115420.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 65000.0, "metro_p50": 77500.6, "metro_p75": 79169.0, "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": 79167.0, "metro_p50": 94413.6, "metro_p75": 95903.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Billing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38796.0, "metro_p50": 44377.0, "metro_p75": 44377.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 49000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 53145.0, "metro_p50": 60781.0, "metro_p75": 60781.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 69556.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 55014.0, "metro_p50": 65686.0, "metro_p75": 70000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71397.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "FP&A Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 95198.0, "metro_p50": 130923.0, "metro_p75": 140980.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 130000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Grand Forks metro unemployment rate at 2.8% as of August 2026"}, {"source_name": "Job Service North Dakota", "source_url": null, "statement": "ND Finance & Insurance job openings fell 10.1% year-over-year to 328"}, {"source_name": "Job Service North Dakota", "source_url": null, "statement": "Finance & Insurance mean wage premium of $34,153 over state average"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder Associates", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic"}, {"source_name": "Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum", "source_url": null, "statement": "70% of finance and accounting leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "National unemployment rate stable at 4.1% in October 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.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "grand-forks-nd-mn-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "grand-forks-nd-mn-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:22:26.842334+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/grand-forks-nd-mn-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/grand-forks-nd-mn-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}