{"schema_version": 1, "id": "peoria-il-msa/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 407, "label": "Peoria, IL MSA", "slug": "peoria-il-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T05:47:26.990310+00:00", "headline": "Peoria unemployment drops to 3.8% as Controller pay climbs.", "headline_summary": "Peoria's jobless rate fell to 3.8%, down 0.9 points year-over-year, while metro Controller pay rose to $116,218 against a national CFO turnover rate of 18.3%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Peoria unemployment rate", "value": "3.8%", "context": "Down 0.9 pts YoY; Sept. 2025 was 4.7%"}, {"label": "Peoria job growth", "value": "+300 jobs", "context": "September 2026, down from +700 in August"}, {"label": "CFO turnover rate", "value": "18.3%", "context": "Highest since the pandemic (Crist|Kolder)"}, {"label": "Illinois Financial Activities jobs", "value": "-15,800", "context": "Year-over-year loss statewide through August"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Controller pay is moving while mid-level roles hold flat.", "body": "Metro Controller advertised pay rose to a median of $116,218, outpacing the national figure, while Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst pay stayed essentially flat. Pay compression at senior levels is narrowing \u2014 a signal that retention risk sits highest just below the Controller seat."}, {"headline": "Local unemployment is dropping faster than hiring is accelerating.", "body": "Peoria's 3.8% unemployment rate reflects a 0.9-point year-over-year decline, yet the metro added only 300 jobs in September after 700 in August. A tightening rate without matching job growth is consistent with workers exiting the labor force or relocating, a distinction worth making before assuming stronger local demand."}, {"headline": "FP&A Manager pay signals where budget priority is shifting.", "body": "FP&A Manager advertised pay climbed to $130,000 both locally and nationally, aligning with CFO turnover running at 18.3% nationally \u2014 the highest since the pandemic. Organizations appear to be paying up for planning and forecasting capability precisely when finance leadership continuity is least certain."}, {"headline": "Illinois sector data complicates the local reading.", "body": "Statewide Financial Activities employment fell 1,700 jobs in August with 15,800 lost year-over-year, even as Finance & Accounting postings rose 6.8% \u2014 a split between headcount contraction and specialist demand. Peoria employers should treat state-level softness as backdrop context rather than a direct signal for local role-level hiring plans."}], "local_conditions": "Peoria MSA unemployment fell to 3.8% in September, down 0.9 percentage points year-over-year and tied for the largest improvement among Illinois metros, even as nonfarm job growth stayed modest at 0.5% over the year and only 300 jobs added for the month. Tight local labor supply is coinciding with a national Finance talent shortage \u2014 85% of surveyed CFOs report finance staffing shortfalls \u2014 meaning Peoria employers compete for a shrinking specialized candidate pool against a backdrop of a shrinking statewide labor force.", "implications": "Falling local unemployment alongside flat-to-moderate advertised pay for Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst roles suggests Peoria employers are managing talent tightness through structure and leveling, while Controller and FP&A Manager postings move up as organizations pay for scarce leadership and planning capacity. With 70% of finance leaders nationally expanding contract talent use in H2 2026, Peoria organizations managing close and audit cycles face a growing documentation and controls question alongside the staffing one. Consider reviewing whether Controller and FP&A Manager compensation bands reflect the premium being paid nationally for retention during CFO transition cycles, where external hiring now runs at 37.5%.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Expected data release", "body": "Illinois statewide employment data for October publishes November 19, with metro-level Peoria figures following November 25 \u2014 the first full read on whether September's unemployment drop held into Q4."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "CFO turnover at 18.3% nationally and a 37.5% external hiring rate raise succession and retention stakes heading into year-end close; Peoria organizations without a documented leadership bench plan face elevated interim-staffing exposure."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Contract talent use is rising in 70% of finance organizations nationally; watch whether Peoria audit and close cycles show increased reliance on interim or contract accounting support as Q4 approaches."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Illinois' labor force has contracted 1.3% over the year and participation has slipped to 63.6%; a continued pullback could tighten the Peoria candidate pool further even as local job growth stays modest."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80000.0, "metro_p50": 116218.0, "metro_p75": 117404.0, "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": 81687.0, "metro_p50": 87042.4, "metro_p75": 93172.5, "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": 69392.0, "metro_p50": 74143.0, "metro_p75": 75878.0, "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": "metro", "metro_p25": 38636.0, "metro_p50": 44200.0, "metro_p75": 46027.75, "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": 45647.0, "metro_p50": 65000.0, "metro_p75": 74714.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 69556.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 62400.0, "metro_p50": 72122.0, "metro_p75": 75779.5, "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": 105030.75, "metro_p50": 130000.0, "metro_p75": 142500.0, "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": "Illinois Department of Employment Security", "source_url": null, "statement": "Peoria MSA unemployment fell to 3.8% in September 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics / USAFacts", "source_url": null, "statement": "Peoria added 300 jobs in September, 700 in August 2026"}, {"source_name": "AFP FP&A Forum", "source_url": null, "statement": "70% of finance leaders increasing contract talent use in H2 2026"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder Associates", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic"}, {"source_name": "Illinois Department of Employment Security", "source_url": null, "statement": "Illinois Financial Activities lost 15,800 jobs year-over-year"}, {"source_name": "Illinois Department of Employment Security", "source_url": null, "statement": "Illinois October employment data releases November 19"}], "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": "peoria-il-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "peoria-il-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:28:09.302705+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/peoria-il-msa/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/peoria-il-msa/finance/2026-10.pdf"}