NAICS 56

Administrative and Support Services in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Metro Market Score 61.5 (Difficult), ranked #205 of 267 metros. 4,896 establishments, 84,639 jobs.

Metro Market Score 61.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson stands out for high administrative and support services labor costs. Wage competitiveness hits 81.7 (above the 70th percentile of metros), and year-over-year wage pressure at 59.6 signals continued increases. Plan for higher payroll if entering this market.

Industry Concentration

85.4

LQ: 1.06

Rank #228 of 267 metros

Wage Competitiveness

81.7

$56,099 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 73.8

Employment growth index

Rank #71 of 267 metros

Wage Pressure

59.6

YoY wage change index

4,896 Administrative and Support Services Firms in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

4,896

Establishments

-1.1% YoY

84,639

Total Employment

+0.8% YoY

$56,099

Average Annual Wage

+4.6% YoY

1.06

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Maryland

#1 of 1

administrative and support services metros in state

Maryland state rank

#11 of 51

for administrative and support services entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (61.5)

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs Maryland Statewide

How this metro's administrative and support services market compares to Maryland overall. The state ranks #11/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson	MD Statewide
Overall Score	61.5 Difficult	32.6 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#205 of 267 metros	#11 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson

Accommodation and Food Services 45.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 47.8 Retail Trade 48.9 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 58.6 Construction 61.5 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 63.3 Finance and Insurance 72.8

Administrative and Support Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's 61.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Port St. Lucie, FL 61.5 #204/267 Saginaw, MI 61.5 #203/267 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 61.4 #202/267 Springfield, MA 61.3 #201/267 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 61.2 #200/267 Mobile, AL 61.9 #206/267 Youngstown-Warren, OH 60.9 #199/267 Albany, GA 60.9 #198/267 Sioux City, IA 62.2 #207/267 Bloomington, IL 62.4 #208/267

Administrative and Support Services in States Bordering Maryland

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

Pennsylvania 25.3 #6/51 West Virginia 40.6 #23/51 District of Columbia 41.2 #25/51 Virginia 43.0 #33/51 Delaware 43.2 #35/51

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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson's administrative and support services sector, the industry concentration component (85.4) 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment