NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA

Metro Market Score 76.6 (Difficult), ranked #251 of 261 metros. 24,964 establishments, 211,532 jobs.

Metro Market Score 76.6

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington are tougher than average. The 76.6 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, slowing employment, and an already crowded field. Rank: #251 of 261 metros.

Industry Concentration

89.3

LQ: 1.06

Rank #233 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

95.0

$134,431 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 26.8

Employment growth index

Rank #192 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

43.0

YoY wage change index

24,964 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

24,964

Establishments

+2.0% YoY

211,532

Total Employment

-1.7% YoY

$134,431

Average Annual Wage

+5.3% YoY

1.06

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Pennsylvania

#14 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

+33.5

worse than median (43.1)

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington	PA Statewide
Overall Score	76.6 Difficult	33.7 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#251 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington

Accommodation and Food Services 47.8 Healthcare and Social Assistance 53.2 Retail Trade 58.2 Other Services 60.1

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington's 76.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 76.3 #250/261 Worcester, MA 76.1 #249/261 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 79.1 #254/261 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY 79.1 #255/261 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 74.0 #246/261 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 73.6 #245/261

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the wage competitiveness component (95.0) 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment