56131/Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
368K
employees, 2023
368K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 13,576 US Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services business locations employed 368,130 people and paid $21.9 billion in annual payroll, $59,481 per employee on average. Employment was up 15.4% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
13,576
+2.3% vs 2022
Employees
368,130
+15.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$21.9B
+9.7% vs 2022
Average pay
$59,481
-4.9% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search 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 | 1,901 | 98,017 | $64,314 | 0.60% |
| Florida | 1,272 | 38,436 | $45,612 | 0.38% |
| Texas | 1,251 | 33,173 | $51,302 | 0.28% |
| Illinois | 685 | 19,495 | $66,281 | 0.34% |
| New York | 1,065 | 18,148 | $92,452 | 0.21% |
| Georgia | 633 | 13,444 | $50,468 | 0.31% |
| Ohio | 453 | 13,269 | $42,324 | 0.26% |
| Indiana | 239 | 12,672 | $24,498 | 0.43% |
| Michigan | 332 | 11,334 | $45,520 | 0.28% |
| New Jersey | 457 | 9,936 | $52,844 | 0.25% |
| Massachusetts | 361 | 9,665 | $111,972 | 0.28% |
| Nebraska | 99 | 7,882 | $64,231 | 0.85% |
| Virginia | 276 | 7,197 | $54,423 | 0.20% |
| North Carolina | 434 | 6,176 | $47,181 | 0.14% |
| Pennsylvania | 435 | 6,130 | $99,667 | 0.11% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,272 | 17,287 | $94,689 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 636 | 11,605 | $88,051 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 466 | 10,125 | $55,715 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 895 | 8,888 | $81,328 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 379 | 6,700 | $77,458 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 522 | 6,652 | $67,517 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 307 | 6,152 | $124,651 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 501 | 6,092 | $58,595 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 316 | 4,896 | $121,367 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 269 | 4,462 | $91,855 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 236 | 4,092 | $43,590 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 170 | 3,880 | $62,207 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 290 | 3,805 | $125,027 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 255 | 3,702 | $59,156 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 222 | 3,128 | $60,581 |
Business size
US Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 8,699 | 64.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 1,458 | 10.7% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,049 | 7.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,084 | 8.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 651 | 4.8% |
| 100 to 249 | 443 | 3.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 120 | 0.9% |
| 500 to 999 | 47 | 0.3% |
| 1,000 or more | 25 | 0.2% |
Related industries
Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services and the 2 industries directly below it
Part of Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 56Administrative and Support Services 561Employment Services 5613
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 561311 | Employment Placement Agencies | 329,566 | $49,577 |
| 561312 | Executive Search Services | 38,564 | $144,116 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services in the US?
368,130 people worked at 13,576 US Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services business locations in 2023, up 15.4% from 2022. That is 0.26% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services?
$59,481 a year per employee in 2023, from $21.9 billion in annual payroll (down 4.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services jobs?
California had the most, with 98,017 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (38,436) and Texas (33,173).
Which metro areas have the most Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (17,287), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (11,605), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (10,125) had the most Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services employees in 2023.
Are most Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services businesses small?
82.5% of the 13,576 Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 72 had 500 or more.
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. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.