NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR

Metro Market Score 76.3 (Difficult), ranked #250 of 261 metros. 16,621 establishments, 80,593 jobs.

Metro Market Score 76.3

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

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's professional, scientific, and technical services sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 15.3). That contraction, combined with a 76.3 market score, puts this metro in the bottom 10% for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

84.3

LQ: 0.95

Rank #220 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

86.2

$114,475 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 15.3

Employment growth index

Rank #222 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

41.5

YoY wage change index

16,621 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

16,621

Establishments

+0.1% YoY

80,593

Total Employment

-3.2% YoY

$114,475

Average Annual Wage

+4.6% YoY

0.95

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Oregon

#7 of 7

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Oregon state rank

#42 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+26.7

worse than median (49.7)

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro vs Oregon Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Oregon overall. The state ranks #42/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro	OR Statewide
Overall Score	76.3 Difficult	45.2 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#250 of 261 metros	#42 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro

Retail Trade 63.6 Accommodation and Food Services 63.9 Construction 67.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 69.3 Finance and Insurance 69.7 Information 70.7 Other Services 73.3

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Oregon Metros

Salem 35.1 #57/261 Grants Pass 36.7 #68/261 Albany 46.6 #123/261 Eugene-Springfield 49.7 #141/261 Medford 50.3 #146/261 Corvallis 69.4 #229/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's 76.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Worcester, MA 76.1 #249/261 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 76.6 #251/261 Lawrence, KS 75.6 #248/261 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 75.3 #247/261 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 78.2 #252/261 New Haven, CT 78.5 #253/261 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 74.0 #246/261 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 73.6 #245/261 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 79.1 #254/261 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 79.1 #255/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Oregon

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

Idaho 34.9 #11/51 Nevada 42.6 #34/51 Washington 43.3 #36/51 California 51.2 #48/51

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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the employment growth component (84.7) 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment