NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Metro Market Score 73.2 (Difficult), ranked #244 of 261 metros. 16,508 establishments, 148,194 jobs.

Metro Market Score 73.2

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

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

🏭Industry Hub💰High-Cost Market

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is a specialized hub for professional, scientific, and technical services, with a location quotient of 1.69 and industry concentration in the bottom 10%. Higher-than-average firm density means more competition for talent and customers, but also a deeper local supply chain and client pool.

Industry Concentration

97.7

LQ: 1.69

Rank #255 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

97.7

$156,868 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 40.2

Employment growth index

Rank #157 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

32.2

YoY wage change index

16,508 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

16,508

Establishments

-0.4% YoY

148,194

Total Employment

+0.0% YoY

$156,868

Average Annual Wage

+0.0% YoY

1.69

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#10 of 11

professional, scientific, and technical services metros in state

Texas state rank

#30 of 51

for professional, scientific, and technical services entry risk

vs State Median

+31.8

worse than median (41.4)

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos vs Texas Statewide

How this metro's professional, scientific, and technical services market compares to Texas overall. The state ranks #30/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos	TX Statewide
Overall Score	73.2 Difficult	42.2 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#244 of 261 metros	#30 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

Healthcare and Social Assistance 39.0 Retail Trade 48.8 Construction 54.9 Finance and Insurance 58.0 Other Services 59.5 Accommodation and Food Services 62.4 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 70.2 Information 77.2

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Other Texas Metros

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 13.5 #4/261 Laredo 17.9 #9/261 Sherman-Denison 20.8 #15/261 El Paso 23.8 #22/261 Odessa 35.7 #64/261 Killeen-Temple 41.4 #88/261 Beaumont-Port Arthur 42.6 #95/261 Brownsville-Harlingen 45.2 #114/261 Tyler 60.2 #190/261 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 75.3 #247/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos's 73.2 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 73.6 #245/261 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 74.0 #246/261 Omaha, NE 72.3 #243/261 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 72.2 #242/261 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 71.5 #241/261 Manchester-Nashua, NH 71.4 #240/261 Portland-South Portland, ME 71.4 #239/261 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 75.3 #247/261 Pueblo, CO 71.1 #238/261 Pittsburgh, PA 71.1 #237/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in States Bordering Texas

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

Louisiana 36.4 #15/51 Arkansas 37.3 #18/51 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the industry concentration component (97.7) 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment