A method of combining moiré interferometry and the finite-element method to effect localized stress analysis is presented. The displacement data from local regions of interest in the optical experiment are used as boundary conditions for the finite-element stress analysis.The stability of the method is examined with data from simple numerical models one of which corresponded to the stress analysis of a pin-loaded plate with friction. These studies show that the method requires the sensivity of moiré interferometry for successful implementation, i.e., displacement data accuracy within 0.1 μm or 4 μin.This localized hybrid method of stress analysis provides a powerful and efficient method for the reduction of experimental data.