{"schema_version": 1, "id": "kokomo-in-msa/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 218, "label": "Kokomo, IN MSA", "slug": "kokomo-in-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T05:26:59.710560+00:00", "headline": "Kokomo unemployment climbs while finance talent stays scarce.", "headline_summary": "Kokomo MSA unemployment has risen to 5.1% against Indiana's 3.4% and the national 4.1%, yet statewide accountant/auditor unemployment sits at just 1.0% and FP&A Manager pay nationally has pulled $18,000 ahead of the metro median.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Kokomo MSA unemployment rate", "value": "5.1%", "context": "vs 3.4% Indiana, 4.1% national (June 2026)"}, {"label": "FP&A Manager pay gap", "value": "$17,731", "context": "Metro $112,269 (down) vs national $130,000 (up)"}, {"label": "Indiana accountant/auditor unemployment", "value": "1.0%", "context": "May 2026, signals close/audit talent scarcity"}, {"label": "Projected new manufacturing jobs", "value": "2,800", "context": "~8% of current Kokomo MSA employment"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Metro unemployment and finance talent scarcity are diverging sharply.", "body": "Kokomo's 5.1% unemployment rate sits well above Indiana's 3.4% and the national 4.1%, yet accountant/auditor unemployment statewide sits at just 1.0%. Finance and accounting hiring in Kokomo will feel tighter than headline metro unemployment suggests."}, {"headline": "FP&A Manager pay gap with national market is widening.", "body": "Metro FP&A Manager advertised pay fell moderately to $112,269 while the national median rose to $130,000 \u2014 an $18,000 spread. Roles requiring broader strategic finance skill sets may require out-of-market compensation data to stay competitive for hires with mobility."}, {"headline": "Tax Specialist pay is moving up locally, but the gap remains stark.", "body": "Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay rose moderately to $40,438 against a national median of $69,556 that moved up significantly. Local employers competing for tax talent against remote or hybrid national postings face a compensation structure that may no longer clear the market."}, {"headline": "CFO turnover nationally raises succession stakes for smaller finance teams.", "body": "Crist|Kolder projects 18.3% CFO turnover in 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with 37.5% of replacements hired externally. Kokomo-based finance organizations with thin bench strength at the controller or FP&A level should weigh succession readiness against the cost of losing continuity during close cycles."}], "local_conditions": "Kokomo MSA unemployment has climbed to 5.1% as of mid-2026, running well above both the national 4.1% rate and Indiana's 3.4%, even as local employment grew 3.5% year-over-year on manufacturing and healthcare hiring. Two announced factory expansions projected to add 2,800 jobs \u2014 nearly 8% of current metro employment \u2014 signal a labor market bifurcated between a tight industrial base and elevated frictional unemployment likely tied to automotive supply chain volatility.", "implications": "Finance function headcount planning in Kokomo must account for a talent pool shaped by automotive-sector churn \u2014 Indiana's 1.0% accountant/auditor unemployment rate (May 2026) shows close and audit support remains scarce even where overall metro unemployment runs higher. FP&A Manager advertised pay has moved down moderately in the metro to $112,269 against a national median climbing to $130,000, a widening gap that complicates budgeting for finance leadership roles sourced regionally versus nationally. Consider reviewing whether current FP&A and controller-level compensation bands reflect this growing metro-to-national spread before the next hiring cycle exposes it.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Kokomo's unemployment rate has moved from 4.7% (November 2025) to 5.1% (June 2026) even as total employment grew \u2014 watch whether this reflects labor force re-entry or softening automotive-linked demand as Q4 data arrives."}, {"category": "Expected", "body": "The two announced factory expansions projected to add 2,800 jobs should begin showing in local job postings data over the next 60 days; Finance leaders supporting plant finance and controllership functions should anticipate competition for site-level finance talent."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National finance leaders report 70% increasing contract talent use in H2 2026 \u2014 watch whether this trend reaches Kokomo's smaller finance teams, where contract staffing could strain audit documentation and control continuity during year-end close."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Indiana's statewide labor force contraction (-18,900 over the past year) combined with Kokomo's elevated unemployment may suggest workers are leaving the labor force instead of switching jobs \u2014 a dynamic that would tighten the pool of qualified finance candidates despite higher headline unemployment."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 91519.0, "metro_p50": 115000.0, "metro_p75": 122550.0, "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": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 73336.0, "metro_p50": 80605.0, "metro_p75": 85000.0, "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": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 67600.0, "metro_p50": 84133.2, "metro_p75": 92976.0, "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": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 36033.5, "metro_p50": 43108.0, "metro_p75": 49480.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 49000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 40342.0, "metro_p50": 40438.4, "metro_p75": 40583.0, "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": 49767.0, "metro_p50": 62267.2, "metro_p75": 68275.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 91024.0, "metro_p50": 112268.8, "metro_p75": 124994.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "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": "Kokomo MSA unemployment rate at 5.1% in June 2026"}, {"source_name": "Indiana Department of Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Metro employment grew 3.5% year-over-year, two factories to add 2,800 jobs"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics / Indiana DWD", "source_url": null, "statement": "Indiana accountant/auditor unemployment at 1.0% in May 2026"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder Associates", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, 37.5% external hire rate"}, {"source_name": "Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum", "source_url": null, "statement": "70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026"}, {"source_name": "Indiana Department of Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Indiana labor force shrank approximately 18,900 over past year"}], "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": "kokomo-in-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "kokomo-in-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:24:22.064339+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/kokomo-in-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/kokomo-in-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}