NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

Metro Market Score 52.6 (Challenging), ranked #154 of 261 metros. 1,777 establishments, 17,385 jobs.

Metro Market Score 52.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Challenging

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

💰High-Cost Market📈Rapid Growth

Despite a mature professional, scientific, and technical services presence (concentration: 72.8), Harrisburg-Carlisle is still adding jobs in this sector. Growth trend sits at 80.1, and the overall 52.6 market score lands in the lower half. Established markets with growth are worth a closer look.

Industry Concentration

72.8

LQ: 0.74

Rank #190 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

81.6

$105,003 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 80.1

Employment growth index

Rank #53 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

40.1

YoY wage change index

1,777 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Harrisburg-Carlisle

1,777

Establishments

+3.4% YoY

17,385

Total Employment

+3.9% YoY

$105,003

Average Annual Wage

+3.9% YoY

0.74

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Pennsylvania

#11 of 14

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Pennsylvania state rank

#6 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+9.5

worse than median (43.1)

Harrisburg-Carlisle vs Pennsylvania Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Pennsylvania overall. The state ranks #6/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Harrisburg-Carlisle	PA Statewide
Overall Score	52.6 Challenging	33.7 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#154 of 261 metros	#6 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle

Information 44.6 Construction 45.7 Retail Trade 46.5 Healthcare and Social Assistance 53.5 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 56.7 Finance and Insurance 67.0 Other Services 73.4

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Pennsylvania Metros

Altoona 21.4 #17/261 Chambersburg 30.4 #40/261 Erie 30.6 #41/261 Gettysburg 33.2 #52/261 Johnstown 40.8 #86/261 Williamsport 42.2 #92/261 Lebanon 42.5 #94/261 Lancaster 43.1 #102/261 Reading 46.2 #119/261 York-Hanover 46.3 #121/261

+ 3 more metros. View all in Pennsylvania →

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Harrisburg-Carlisle's 52.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL 52.8 #155/261 Midland, MI 52.3 #153/261 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 52.9 #156/261 Columbus, IN 53.0 #157/261 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA 52.1 #152/261 Tucson, AZ 53.2 #158/261 Redding, CA 53.3 #159/261 Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC 53.3 #160/261 Champaign-Urbana, IL 53.4 #161/261 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 51.6 #151/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Pennsylvania

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

West Virginia 34.4 #8/51 Ohio 36.9 #17/51 Maryland 38.4 #23/51 Delaware 38.9 #24/51 New Jersey 45.4 #44/51 New York 52.4 #49/51

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 Harrisburg-Carlisle's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the wage competitiveness component (81.6) 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment