NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Cleveland, OH

Metro Market Score 62.4 (Difficult), ranked #198 of 261 metros. 8,585 establishments, 56,372 jobs.

Metro Market Score 62.4

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

Cleveland scores 62.4 on the Metro Market Score for professional, scientific, and technical services, placing it in the bottom quartile. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

77.0

LQ: 0.79

Rank #201 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

76.6

$101,745 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 41.4

Employment growth index

Rank #154 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

32.2

YoY wage change index

8,585 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Cleveland

8,585

Establishments

+100.0% YoY

56,372

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$101,745

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

0.79

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Ohio

#7 of 8

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Ohio state rank

#17 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+14.7

worse than median (47.7)

Cleveland vs Ohio Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Ohio overall. The state ranks #17/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Cleveland	OH Statewide
Overall Score	62.4 Difficult	36.9 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#198 of 261 metros	#17 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 Cleveland

Retail Trade 38.7 Construction 47.0 Accommodation and Food Services 48.6 Information 51.7 Administrative and Support Services 56.7 Other Services 57.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 58.1 Finance and Insurance 63.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 69.5

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Ohio Metros

Springfield 24.6 #25/261 Sandusky 26.6 #30/261 Mansfield 30.4 #39/261 Youngstown-Warren 43.3 #104/261 Lima 47.7 #130/261 Akron 55.3 #172/261 Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek 66.1 #217/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Cleveland's 62.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 62.6 #199/261 Springfield, MA 62.6 #200/261 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 62.3 #197/261 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA 62.6 #201/261 Trenton-Princeton, NJ 62.8 #202/261 Lafayette, LA 62.8 #203/261 Iowa City, IA 62.9 #204/261 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 63.3 #205/261 Wilmington, NC 61.5 #196/261 Syracuse, NY 61.4 #195/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Ohio

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

Pennsylvania 33.7 #6/51 West Virginia 34.4 #8/51 Kentucky 35.7 #14/51 Michigan 41.2 #27/51 Indiana 56.7 #50/51

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 Cleveland's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the industry concentration component (77.0) 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 Cleveland, OH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment