54/Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
10.4M
employees, 2023
10.4M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 989,182 US Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services business locations employed 10.4 million people and paid $1.11 trillion in annual payroll, $107,141 per employee on average. Employment was up 2.5% from 2022. California had the most employees. US Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services revenue (market size) was $2.67 trillion in 2022, up 44.6% from 2017, from 876,176 firms.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
989,182
+1.5% vs 2022
Employees
10,401,442
+2.5% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.11T
+4.4% vs 2022
Average pay
$107,141
+1.9% vs 2022
Industry economics
Market size, prices and output of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, from official US government statistics
Market size, 2022
$2.67T
+44.6% vs 2017 · 876,176 firms
Share of US GDP
8.00%
$2.47T value added, 2025
Quarterly revenue
$816.4B
Q2 2026 · +6.4% vs a year earlier
Quarterly revenue
US dollars per quarter, seasonally adjusted. Latest: Q2 2026.
Share of US GDP
Value added of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services as a percent of US GDP, by year
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 143,863 | 1,430,821 | $130,687 | 8.72% |
| Texas | 83,842 | 871,344 | $105,042 | 7.25% |
| New York | 62,625 | 696,537 | $124,447 | 7.94% |
| Florida | 94,623 | 614,527 | $89,533 | 6.15% |
| Virginia | 32,231 | 536,441 | $110,839 | 14.98% |
| Illinois | 37,946 | 467,150 | $120,096 | 8.25% |
| Pennsylvania | 30,357 | 378,845 | $100,342 | 6.63% |
| Massachusetts | 21,966 | 369,685 | $147,606 | 10.60% |
| New Jersey | 29,052 | 342,794 | $114,183 | 8.69% |
| Georgia | 33,198 | 326,724 | $101,301 | 7.42% |
| Michigan | 22,561 | 322,128 | $98,133 | 7.97% |
| North Carolina | 28,189 | 316,460 | $89,740 | 7.39% |
| Maryland | 21,699 | 301,509 | $108,007 | 12.21% |
| Ohio | 23,740 | 279,808 | $88,672 | 5.51% |
| Colorado | 28,143 | 243,578 | $106,266 | 9.49% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Revenue by state
Revenue (market size) of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in each state, 2022. States where the number is not published are gray.
Revenue by state
US dollars, in millions
States with the most revenue
Revenue and the share of the US total
| State | Revenue 2022 | Change | Share of US |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $449.0B | +49.4% vs 2017 | 16.8% |
| New York | $225.2B | +30.2% vs 2017 | 8.4% |
| Texas | $219.0B | +45.1% vs 2017 | 8.2% |
| Virginia | $141.9B | +39.9% vs 2017 | 5.3% |
| Florida | $137.9B | +53.9% vs 2017 | 5.2% |
| Massachusetts | $136.8B | +74.0% vs 2017 | 5.1% |
| Illinois | $125.6B | +44.2% vs 2017 | 4.7% |
| New Jersey | $94.6B | +40.8% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Pennsylvania | $92.6B | +44.4% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | $82.7B | +49.9% vs 2017 | 3.1% |
| Maryland | $73.3B | +32.3% vs 2017 | 2.7% |
| Washington | $66.4B | +56.6% vs 2017 | 2.5% |
| North Carolina | $62.8B | +53.6% vs 2017 | 2.4% |
| Colorado | $62.1B | +56.7% vs 2017 | 2.3% |
| Ohio | $57.8B | +32.5% vs 2017 | 2.2% |
The 15 states with the most revenue. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 71,000 | 796,173 | $131,687 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 34,327 | 633,277 | $125,382 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 61,848 | 471,294 | $114,166 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 32,828 | 409,424 | $125,198 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 17,803 | 328,542 | $153,571 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 23,140 | 318,400 | $163,085 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 27,552 | 305,390 | $108,957 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 25,159 | 255,343 | $110,293 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 19,559 | 244,547 | $114,487 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 22,233 | 242,722 | $113,052 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 11,783 | 221,378 | $104,539 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 40,122 | 200,585 | $96,726 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 16,216 | 178,885 | $134,578 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 14,812 | 167,804 | $126,048 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 8,761 | 167,029 | $190,908 |
Layoffs
Layoffs in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports
Layoffs, 12 months
81
Layoff events
Workers, 12 months
6,125
Where the sources state it
Layoffs in all
918
The earliest dated May 1989
Layoffs and discharges
390,000
Aug 2026, every employer (JOLTS)
| Date | Company | Place | Workers | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7, 2026 | Provider Partners Management Services, LLC | Columbia, MD | 39 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Oct 6, 2026 | Fair Isaac Corporation FICO | United States | not stated | Confirmed | SEC 8-K |
| Oct 6, 2026 | Cloudforce Group, Inc. | Oxon Hill, MD | 33 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Oct 6, 2026 | The Beachbody Company, Inc. BODI | El Segundo, CA | 80 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Oct 6, 2026 | Caribou Biosciences, Inc. CRBU | Berkeley, CA | 87 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Magic Leap, Inc. | Sunnyvale, CA | 5 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Sep 22, 2026 | RTX Corporation RTX | El Segundo, CA | 1 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Arsenal Biosciences, Inc. | South San Francisco, CA | 58 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Astrion | Florida | 220 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN | California | 148 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
Layoff events per month
Oct 2024 to Oct 2026; the newest month is not complete
Top states, last 12 months
| State | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 23 | 1,165 |
| California | 22 | 1,912 |
| Florida | 16 | 1,518 |
| Illinois | 3 | 111 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 313 |
| Indiana | 2 | 72 |
Top companies, last 12 months
| Company | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics Corporation GD | 4 | 215 |
| Magic Leap, Inc. | 3 | 353 |
| Astrion | 2 | 248 |
| Conduent Incorporated CNDT | 2 | 90 |
| Veritone, Inc. VERI | 2 | 41 |
| Groupon, Inc. GRPN | 1 | 400 |
| Angi Inc. ANGI | 1 | 350 |
| ServiceNow, Inc. NOW | 1 | 287 |
| Bechtel National, Inc. | 1 | 248 |
| Leidos | 1 | 227 |
Layoffs and discharges per month
United States, Professional and business services, every employer, in thousands, seasonally adjusted (JOLTS)
Business size
US Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 706,067 | 71.4% |
| 5 to 9 | 124,228 | 12.6% |
| 10 to 19 | 76,923 | 7.8% |
| 20 to 49 | 50,645 | 5.1% |
| 50 to 99 | 16,599 | 1.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 9,869 | 1.0% |
| 250 to 499 | 3,022 | 0.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 1,149 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 680 | 0.1% |
Sub-industries by revenue
The industries directly below Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, ranked by revenue, 2022
Largest by revenue
| Code | Industry | Revenue | Change vs 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 541 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $2.67T | +44.6% |
Related industries
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services and the 1 industry directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 541 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 10,401,442 | $107,141 |
Questions and answers
How big is the US Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services market?
$2.67 trillion in revenue in 2022, up 44.6% from $1.84 trillion in 2017, earned by 876,176 firms. California had the most revenue ($449.0 billion), followed by New York ($225.2 billion).
How many people work in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in the US?
10.4 million people worked at 989,182 US Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services business locations in 2023, up 2.5% from 2022. That is 7.44% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services?
$107,141 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.11 trillion in annual payroll (up 1.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services jobs?
California had the most, with 1,430,821 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (871,344) and New York (696,537).
Which metro areas have the most Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (796,173), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (633,277), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (471,294) had the most Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services employees in 2023.
Are most Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services businesses small?
91.7% of the 989,182 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 1,829 had 500 or more.
How much does Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services add to US GDP?
8.00% of US GDP in 2025: $2.47 trillion in value added.
How many layoffs were there in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in the last 12 months?
81 layoffs were announced in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in the last 12 months, affecting 6,125 workers where the number was stated, from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports. The companies with the most layoff events were General Dynamics Corporation (4), Magic Leap, Inc. (3), Astrion (2).
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes. Market size is counted every five years; producer prices, output and sales are monthly and the newest month is revised later.
