Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services in North Carolina, 2026 Edition
NAICS 54
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
27,428
Employees
272,867
Annual payroll
$25.82B
2. National context
North Carolina accounts for 2.82% of the 974,303 US establishments in this sector and ranks 11th out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
NC avg annual wage
$94,609
US avg annual wage
$105,185
North Carolina sector wages are -10.1% versus the national average for NAICS 54.
4. Federal exclusion overlay (state-wide)
OIG LEIE individuals + entities
1,827
SAM debarred/excluded
2,618
Exclusion counts are state-wide across all NAICS, not specific to Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. Sourced from OIG LEIE and SAM exclusion lists, as of 2026-05-27.
5. Top 3 counties by establishment count
| Rank | County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wake County | 5,657 | 69,986 |
| #2 | Mecklenburg County | 5,029 | 57,648 |
| #3 | Guilford County | 1,523 | 13,430 |
GovBids
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