NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO

Metro Market Score 73.6 (Difficult), ranked #245 of 261 metros. 3,383 establishments, 13,399 jobs.

Metro Market Score 73.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for professional, scientific, and technical services in Fort Collins-Loveland are tougher than average. The 73.6 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #245 of 261 metros.

Industry Concentration

90.4

LQ: 1.10

Rank #236 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

92.7

$124,674 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 29.1

Employment growth index

Rank #186 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

32.8

YoY wage change index

3,383 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Fort Collins-Loveland

3,383

Establishments

-1.9% YoY

13,399

Total Employment

-1.5% YoY

$124,674

Average Annual Wage

+0.3% YoY

1.10

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Colorado

#6 of 7

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Colorado state rank

#46 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+5.4

worse than median (68.2)

Fort Collins-Loveland vs Colorado Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Colorado overall. The state ranks #46/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Fort Collins-Loveland	CO Statewide
Overall Score	73.6 Difficult	46.4 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#245 of 261 metros	#46 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 Fort Collins-Loveland

Healthcare and Social Assistance 38.3 Information 53.8 Finance and Insurance 53.9 Retail Trade 57.8 Administrative and Support Services 60.4 Other Services 61.7 Accommodation and Food Services 62.8 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 63.4 Construction 65.3

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Colorado Metros

Grand Junction 27.3 #32/261 Greeley 46.8 #124/261 Colorado Springs 66.4 #218/261 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 68.2 #224/261 Pueblo 71.1 #238/261 Boulder 84.0 #260/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Fort Collins-Loveland's 73.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 74.0 #246/261 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 73.2 #244/261 Omaha, NE 72.3 #243/261 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 72.2 #242/261 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 75.3 #247/261 Lawrence, KS 75.6 #248/261 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 71.5 #241/261 Manchester-Nashua, NH 71.4 #240/261 Portland-South Portland, ME 71.4 #239/261 Pueblo, CO 71.1 #238/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Colorado

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

Nebraska 31.6 #3/51 Wyoming 36.5 #16/51 Arizona 41.2 #28/51 Utah 42.2 #31/51 Kansas 44.7 #39/51 Oklahoma 45.4 #43/51 New Mexico 59.3 #51/51

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 Fort Collins-Loveland's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the wage competitiveness component (92.7) 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 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment