NAICS 56

Administrative and Support Services in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Metro Market Score 76.0 (Difficult), ranked #260 of 267 metros. 764 establishments, 9,856 jobs.

Metro Market Score 76.0

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national administrative and support services average.

⚡Rising Wages

Administrative and Support Services employment in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara contracted year-over-year, placing the growth trend in the bottom 10% at 5.2. Declining job counts can indicate consolidation, population shifts, or reduced local demand. Due diligence on the local economy is especially important here.

Industry Concentration

44.9

LQ: 0.77

Rank #120 of 267 metros

Wage Competitiveness

65.5

$51,108 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 5.2

Employment growth index

Rank #254 of 267 metros

Wage Pressure

100.0

YoY wage change index

764 Administrative and Support Services Firms in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

764

Establishments

+1.9% YoY

9,856

Total Employment

-14.9% YoY

$51,108

Average Annual Wage

+28.7% YoY

0.77

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within California

#25 of 25

administrative and support services metros in state

California state rank

#27 of 51

for administrative and support services entry risk

vs State Median

+23.4

worse than median (52.6)

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara vs California Statewide

How this metro's administrative and support services market compares to California overall. The state ranks #27/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	CA Statewide
Overall Score	76.0 Difficult	42.0 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#260 of 267 metros	#27 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara

Construction 39.1 Finance and Insurance 42.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 45.9 Retail Trade 51.6 Other Services 54.0 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.3 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 65.8 Information 78.0 Accommodation and Food Services 84.9

Administrative and Support Services in Other California Metros

Merced 19.7 #2/267 Chico 26.0 #9/267 Fresno 34.7 #34/267 El Centro 37.6 #46/267 Redding 39.9 #56/267 Yuba City 44.4 #80/267 Stockton-Lodi 47.5 #102/267 Hanford-Corcoran 48.0 #106/267 Napa 49.2 #111/267 Vallejo 49.8 #114/267

+ 14 more metros. View all in California →

Administrative and Support Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Santa Maria-Santa Barbara's 76.0 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL 76.7 #261/267 Omaha, NE 75.2 #259/267 Greenville, NC 77.1 #262/267 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 75.0 #258/267 Midland, MI 74.6 #257/267 Tucson, AZ 72.9 #256/267 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 79.2 #263/267 Salt Lake City-Murray, UT 72.8 #255/267 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC 72.8 #254/267 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 72.7 #253/267

Administrative and Support Services in States Bordering California

State-level entry risk for administrative and support services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Oregon 30.4 #7/51 Arizona 47.6 #43/51 Nevada 53.0 #48/51

Browse Administrative and Support Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for administrative and support services across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Santa Maria-Santa Barbara's administrative and support services sector, the employment growth component (94.8) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment