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.
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
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.
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 |
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% |
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 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.
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.