NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

Metro Market Score 50.3 (Challenging), ranked #145 of 261 metros. 2,516 establishments, 15,778 jobs.

Metro Market Score 50.3

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national professional, scientific, and technical services average.

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway pairs above-average professional, scientific, and technical services concentration (60.1) with positive employment growth (trend: 51.0). The market is competitive but still expanding, leaving room for well-positioned new entrants.

Industry Concentration

60.1

LQ: 0.64

Rank #157 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

48.7

$84,269 avg wage

Growth Trend

51.0

Employment growth index

Rank #129 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

41.8

YoY wage change index

2,516 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway

2,516

Establishments

-0.3% YoY

15,778

Total Employment

+0.1% YoY

$84,269

Average Annual Wage

+4.7% YoY

0.64

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Arkansas

#5 of 5

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Arkansas state rank

#18 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+5.1

worse than median (45.2)

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway vs Arkansas Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Arkansas overall. The state ranks #18/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway	AR Statewide
Overall Score	50.3 Challenging	37.3 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#145 of 261 metros	#18 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway

Construction 38.5 Retail Trade 42.1 Finance and Insurance 62.8

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Arkansas Metros

Jonesboro 16.1 #5/261 Hot Springs 35.5 #60/261 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers 45.2 #115/261 Fort Smith 46.0 #117/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway's 50.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Medford, OR 50.3 #146/261 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN 50.1 #144/261 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV 50.0 #143/261 Greensboro-High Point, NC 49.9 #142/261 Eugene-Springfield, OR 49.7 #141/261 Logan, UT 49.7 #140/261 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT 49.6 #139/261 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL 51.0 #147/261 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA 49.2 #138/261 Utica-Rome, NY 51.4 #148/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Arkansas

State-level entry risk for professional, scientific, and technical services in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Mississippi 33.4 #5/51 Louisiana 36.4 #15/51 Tennessee 39.4 #25/51 Texas 42.2 #30/51 Oklahoma 45.4 #43/51 Missouri 45.5 #45/51

Browse Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for professional, scientific, and technical 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the industry concentration component (60.1) 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment