{"schema_version": 1, "id": "greenville-nc-msa/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 195, "label": "Greenville, NC MSA", "slug": "greenville-nc-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T05:19:58.737114+00:00", "headline": "Greenville finance pay splits: FP&A climbs as Controller pay falls.", "headline_summary": "FP&A Manager advertised pay in Greenville rose to $135,200 \u2014 above the national median \u2014 while Controller pay fell to $91,452, even as Pitt County unemployment held near 4.3%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "FP&A Manager advertised pay", "value": "$135,200", "context": "Up significantly; exceeds $130,000 national median"}, {"label": "Controller advertised pay", "value": "$91,452", "context": "Down significantly vs $115,420 national median"}, {"label": "Pitt County unemployment", "value": "4.3%", "context": "August 2026, vs 3.4% NC and 4.1% US rates"}, {"label": "NC wage growth (Q2 2026)", "value": "2.9% YoY", "context": "Lowest since Q1 2020"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Manufacturing strength complicates finance talent sourcing.", "body": "Manufacturing employment nearing a 20-year high in Pitt County is competing for the same analytically-minded workforce finance teams need, particularly as 50% of NC employers cite skills gaps as a hiring barrier. Finance leaders sourcing FP&A or analyst talent may find cross-industry competition tighter than national postings data suggests."}], "local_conditions": "Pitt County's unemployment rate held near 4.3% in August, the most recent county-level read, while manufacturing employment approaches a 20-year high and roughly 40,000 workers commute into the county daily to fill positions \u2014 evidence that labor supply is the binding constraint on Greenville-area hiring. Statewide wage growth has slowed to 2.9% year-over-year, the weakest pace since Q1 2020, yet Greenville's FP&A Manager and Tax Specialist advertised pay are climbing against that current, suggesting employers are bidding selectively for finance talent even as broad compensation growth cools.", "implications": "Divergence between falling Controller pay ($91,452 metro median, trending down) and rising FP&A Manager pay (up significantly to $135,200, now exceeding the national median) signals employers are reallocating finance budgets toward forward-looking analytical roles and away from traditional oversight functions \u2014 a shift with direct consequences for succession planning and headcount cost models during close and audit cycles. With 85% of CFOs nationally reporting finance talent shortages and 70% increasing contract staffing, Greenville finance leaders face the same vacancy risk in a tighter local labor pool where 40,000 commuters already fill supply gaps. Consider reviewing whether Controller-track compensation has fallen out of step with FP&A and tax-focused roles before the next budget cycle, particularly if succession plans assume Controller promotion paths remain competitive.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "October county-level unemployment data for Pitt County has not yet posted; watch for confirmation of whether the 4.3% August rate held or eased, since a continued decline would tighten finance hiring further heading into year-end close."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National CFO turnover at 18.3% and external hiring rates climbing to 37.5% raise succession risk; Greenville finance leaders should monitor whether local Controller-to-CFO pipelines are adequately compensated given the metro's declining Controller pay trend."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "NC's bottom-quartile wage growth has slowed to 3.5% versus 4.2% for upper-half earners, a bifurcation that may widen further locally and complicate entry-level finance and billing staffing budgets."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Regional Acceptance Corp's September WARN filing (253 workers, Winterville/Greenville) marks one of the larger local layoff events this year; watch whether displaced finance and operations talent enters the Greenville candidate pool and eases near-term sourcing pressure."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 76845.0, "metro_p50": 91451.8, "metro_p75": 99365.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 115420.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 73132.0, "metro_p50": 83633.0, "metro_p75": 88333.0, "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": 70642.5, "metro_p50": 88949.0, "metro_p75": 93534.5, "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": 35650.0, "metro_p50": 40898.0, "metro_p75": 47902.0, "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": 36115.0, "metro_p50": 49656.4, "metro_p75": 58697.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 61469.0, "metro_p50": 74315.0, "metro_p75": 83654.0, "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": 109967.0, "metro_p50": 135200.0, "metro_p75": 142500.0, "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": "WITN / NC Department of Commerce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Pitt County unemployment rate and manufacturing employment near 20-year high"}, {"source_name": "NC Economic Report / DMJPS", "source_url": null, "statement": "NC wage growth slowed to 2.9% year-over-year, lowest since Q1 2020"}, {"source_name": "MAVI / Robert Half", "source_url": null, "statement": "85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages; 70% increasing contract staffing"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3%, highest since pandemic"}, {"source_name": "NC WARN Notice Database", "source_url": null, "statement": "Regional Acceptance Corp WARN filing for 253 workers in Winterville/Greenville"}, {"source_name": "NC Department of Commerce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Pitt County unemployment rate at 4.3% in August 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": "greenville-nc-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "greenville-nc-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:22:43.708123+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/greenville-nc-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/greenville-nc-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}