{"schema_version": 1, "id": "lubbock-tx-msa/finance/2026-09", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 295, "label": "Lubbock, TX MSA", "slug": "lubbock-tx-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:28:25.552853+00:00", "headline": "Lubbock finance pay falls as national talent shortage builds.", "headline_summary": "Controller pay in Lubbock dropped to $103,607 against a rising $113,754 national median, even as national F&A leaders report a reversed 77% talent shortage index.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Lubbock unemployment rate", "value": "3.9%-4.4%", "context": "vs Texas 4.4%, national 4.1% (Aug-Sept 2026)"}, {"label": "Controller advertised pay, metro", "value": "$103,607", "context": "vs national $113,754, down significant/up moderate"}, {"label": "National financial activities job loss", "value": "-129,000 since May 2025", "context": "7,000 lost in September alone"}, {"label": "F&A Talent Shortage Index 2026", "value": "77%", "context": "reversed from 108% surplus in 2025"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Lubbock finance pay is diverging sharply from the national trend.", "body": "Controller, Senior Accountant, Tax Specialist, and Credit Analyst advertised pay all fell significantly in Lubbock this period while national medians for the same roles held stable or rose. This gap raises the question of whether local employers are under-pricing finance talent relative to a tightening national market."}, {"headline": "Financial Analyst is the lone bright spot locally.", "body": "Metro Financial Analyst advertised pay rose moderately to $65,041, even as most other finance titles in Lubbock declined. That isolated strength may signal localized demand tied to FP&A build-out at expanding employers like Leprino Foods rather than a broad market recovery."}, {"headline": "National sector contraction masks a looming accountant shortage.", "body": "Financial activities lost 7,000 jobs nationally in September, continuing a 129,000-job decline since May 2025, yet F&A leaders report a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77%, reversed from a 2025 surplus. Lubbock's falling advertised pay for accounting roles may not survive this shift if national firms begin competing more aggressively for the same credentialed talent pool."}, {"headline": "Soft wage growth nationally buys budget room, not permanence.", "body": "September's 0.13% monthly wage gain (3.0% year-over-year) came in below expectations, easing near-term payroll cost pressure for FP&A planning cycles. Texas private-sector wage growth of 3.9% year-over-year remains well ahead of this national figure, meaning Lubbock Finance budgets may still face state-level wage pressure even as national headlines suggest relief."}], "local_conditions": "Lubbock's unemployment rate sits near 3.9%-4.4% depending on series, holding well below the Texas average even as local employment stayed flat year-over-year, consistent with a metro economy running on steady retail and vehicle sales rather than net new hiring. National financial-activities payrolls have now shed 129,000 jobs since May 2025, and that sector-wide contraction appears to be compounding a Lubbock finance labor market already showing broad-based advertised pay declines across Controller, Senior Accountant, Tax Specialist, and Credit Analyst roles.", "implications": "Falling advertised pay for Controller, Senior Accountant, Tax Specialist, and Credit Analyst roles in Lubbock \u2014 against rising or stable national medians for the same titles \u2014 suggests local employers are not competing on the same wage trajectory as the broader market, which complicates headcount cost forecasting for FP&A teams benchmarking against national survey inputs. National F&A leaders report 74% plan to grow permanent headcount alongside a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77%, a national tightening signal that has not yet shown up in Lubbock's advertised pay data, creating a potential near-term correction risk. Consider reviewing whether current Lubbock finance compensation bands reflect a temporary local softness or an early mismatch against a national talent shortage that could pull Lubbock candidates toward remote or relocation offers.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National F&A hiring intent (74% planning headcount growth) and a reversed talent shortage index have not yet reached Lubbock's advertised pay figures. Watch whether Q4 postings for Controller and Senior Accountant roles begin reversing this month's declines."}, {"category": "Expected", "body": "Leprino Foods' dairy facility is expected to reach its 600-worker employment target in 2026, which could tighten adjacent finance and accounting support roles tied to manufacturing operations and supply chain finance."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Texas SUI rates (0.32%-6.32% on the first $9,000 of wages) and the $184,500 Social Security wage base take effect in payroll planning cycles; confirm updated employer cost assumptions are reflected in 2026 headcount budgets."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Statewide WARN filings fell 45% year-over-year, but Conifer Health Solutions' 1,037-position cut and JPMorgan Chase's Plano center closure show finance-adjacent layoffs persisting despite overall Texas labor market strength. Monitor whether displaced finance talent reaches the Lubbock candidate pool."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 82201.25, "metro_p50": 103607.0, "metro_p75": 111822.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 113754.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 63772.0, "metro_p50": 63772.0, "metro_p75": 69451.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 87731.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 50655.0, "metro_p50": 65041.4, "metro_p75": 72000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Billing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32899.0, "metro_p50": 39760.0, "metro_p75": 47235.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 49512.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 54219.0, "metro_p50": 56332.0, "metro_p75": 56332.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 65842.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48038.5, "metro_p50": 57802.6, "metro_p75": 70000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71758.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "FP&A Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 104393.0, "metro_p50": 122125.0, "metro_p75": 132700.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 128139.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [], "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": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "lubbock-tx-msa/finance/2026-09.html", "pdf": "lubbock-tx-msa/finance/2026-09.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:32:29.782415+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/lubbock-tx-msa/finance/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/lubbock-tx-msa/finance/2026-09.pdf"}