NAICS 54

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Metro Market Score 75.3 (Difficult), ranked #247 of 261 metros. 35,208 establishments, 344,042 jobs.

Metro Market Score 75.3

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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington scores 75.3 on the Metro Market Score for professional, scientific, and technical services, placing it in the bottom 10%. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

92.7

LQ: 1.24

Rank #242 of 261 metros

Wage Competitiveness

92.0

$124,527 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 29.9

Employment growth index

Rank #184 of 261 metros

Wage Pressure

40.3

YoY wage change index

35,208 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Firms in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

35,208

Establishments

-0.4% YoY

344,042

Total Employment

-1.4% YoY

$124,527

Average Annual Wage

+4.0% YoY

1.24

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within Texas

#11 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

+33.8

worse than median (41.4)

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington 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	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington	TX Statewide
Overall Score	75.3 Difficult	42.2 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#247 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

Retail Trade 54.0 Healthcare and Social Assistance 54.3 Construction 56.4 Other Services 57.5 Accommodation and Food Services 60.6 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 61.5 Finance and Insurance 64.7 Information 69.3

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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos 73.2 #244/261

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington's 75.3 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Lawrence, KS 75.6 #248/261 Worcester, MA 76.1 #249/261 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR 76.3 #250/261 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 74.0 #246/261 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA 76.6 #251/261 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO 73.6 #245/261 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 73.2 #244/261 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 78.2 #252/261 Omaha, NE 72.3 #243/261 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 72.2 #242/261

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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington's professional, scientific, and technical services sector, the industry concentration component (92.7) 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment