Short answer
Dallas County had 806 staffing agency establishments in 2023, employing 41,298 people on a $2.02 billion payroll (Census County Business Patterns): 596 temporary help locations, 125 placement agencies and 85 executive search offices. Two public staffing companies are headquartered there, AMN Healthcare and BGSF. To choose an agency, match its specialty to the job, ask for its fill rate as well as its bill rate, check the entity with the Texas Comptroller, and call two references.
- 806 staffing establishments in Dallas County employ 41,298 people; temp help locations hold 36,096 of them.
- Executive search offices are small (about 9 people each) but pay an average of about $156,600 a year, the highest in the industry here.
- Texas's only staffing-specific labor law covers day labor halls, and Dallas is big enough to set stricter local rules for them.
- In the worked example, an agency 5% dearer per hour is $275.52 a week cheaper because it fills 96% of shifts, not 82%.
- AMN Healthcare reports an average of 8,722 healthcare professionals working for it against 2,664 corporate staff.
On this page
- What kind of agency do you need?
- Dallas County staffing agencies by the numbers
- How big they are
- Public staffing companies headquartered in Dallas
- The Texas rules that apply
- How to vet a Dallas agency
- Worked example: the fill rate is part of the price
- Selling to Dallas staffing agencies
- Local sources
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This page is for three kinds of reader: people looking for work through a Dallas agency, employers deciding which agency to call, and B2B sellers whose customers are staffing firms. The figures cover Dallas County only; Tarrant County has its own report on staffing agencies in Fort Worth.
What kind of agency do you need?
"Staffing agency" covers several different businesses. Pick the type first, then the firm.
| Type | Who it suits | How the money works |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary staffing | Employers covering peaks, absences or projects; workers who want short assignments | The agency employs the worker and bills the client an hourly rate (pay plus markup) |
| Temp-to-hire | Employers who want a trial period; workers looking for a permanent job | Hourly billing, then a conversion fee or a free conversion after agreed hours |
| Direct hire placement | Employers filling permanent roles | A one-off fee, usually a share of first-year salary |
| Executive search | Senior and specialist hires | Retainer or contingency fee |
| Day labor | Same-day general labor, often dispatched from a labor hall | Daily pay; the agency is the employer |
| Specialist staffing (healthcare, IT, light industrial, accounting) | Roles that need licenses, certifications or safety training | Usually hourly; travel nurse contracts often add housing and travel stipends |
| PEO | Small employers who want payroll, benefits and HR run for their own staff | A fee per employee or a share of payroll; it doesn't find workers |
If you're looking for work: a reputable agency is paid by the employer, not by you. The Federal Trade Commission's advice is blunt: "If a placement firm asks you for a fee, especially one you have to pay in advance, walk away."
Dallas County staffing agencies by the numbers
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, Dallas County, Texas, NAICS 56131 (Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services) and 56132 (Temporary Help Services):
| Measure (2023) | Dallas County |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 806 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 41,298 |
| Annual payroll | $2,019,108,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 51.2 |
| Average annual pay | $48,891 |
| Share of US establishments | 1.56% of 51,830 |
| Industry (NAICS, 2023) | Establishments | Employees | Annual payroll | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary help services (561320) | 596 | 36,096 | $1,686,435,000 | about $46,700 |
| Employment placement agencies (561311) | 125 | 4,422 | $210,490,000 | about $47,600 |
| Executive search services (561312) | 85 | 780 | $122,183,000 | about $156,600 |
Why the employee count looks so large
The Census definition of temporary help services says the workers supplied "are employees of the temporary help services establishment." So the 36,096 temp help employees are mostly people working on assignment at warehouses, offices and hospitals across the county, counted where the agency's branch is, not at the client. The internal recruiters and branch staff are a small share. Executive search runs the other way: 85 offices averaging about nine people, nearly all of them recruiters, which is why average pay there is more than three times the temp help figure.
How big they are
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 272 |
| 5 to 9 | 92 |
| 10 to 19 | 86 |
| 20 to 49 | 124 |
| 50 to 99 | 100 |
| 100 to 249 | 100 |
| 250 to 499 | 30 |
| 500 to 999 | Not published |
| 1,000 or more | Not published |
In broader bands, 450 establishments have 1 to 19 employees, 224 have 20 to 99 and 132 have 100 or more. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the two top classes, so the 132 is the total less the smaller bands. The published cells account for 804 of the 806 locations; the industry rows show the other two are temp help branches with at least 500 employees each.
The county is about half of the region: the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro has 1,642 staffing locations in the same Census file, 806 of them in Dallas County. Professional employer organizations (NAICS 56133, 34 more Dallas County locations with 2,190 employees) are not in these figures.
What the figures leave out. County Business Patterns counts establishments with paid employees, not companies: a national firm with five Dallas branches counts five times, and a self-employed recruiter with no payroll isn't counted. Employment is a single week in March 2023, before the fourth-quarter peak.
Public staffing companies headquartered in Dallas
| Company | Headquarters (10-K cover) | Revenue | What it staffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE: AMN) | 2999 Olympus Boulevard, Dallas | $2,730.4 million, 2025 (down 8%) | Nurses and allied health ($1,647.3 million), physicians and leadership ($696.4 million), technology and workforce solutions ($386.7 million) |
| BGSF (NYSE: BGSF) | 14901 Quorum Drive, Dallas | $93.3 million, fiscal year to 28 December 2025 | Maintenance and office field talent for property management companies in 44 states and DC |
Figures are as reported in each 10-K. BGSF sold its Professional segment to INSPYR Solutions in September 2025, so its revenue now covers property management staffing only. AMN's filing shows the temp effect at company scale: in the fourth quarter of 2025 an average of 8,722 nurses, allied and other healthcare professionals and 2,670 medical interpreters worked for it, against 2,664 corporate team members.
The Texas rules that apply
Texas licenses PEOs, not temp help: the PEO license in Labor Code Chapter 91 expressly excludes temporary help (section 91.001). The one staffing-specific labor law, Chapter 92, covers temporary common worker employers that run a labor hall: a place where day laborers gather and are dispatched to jobs. Agencies that don't operate a labor hall, temporary skilled labor agencies and PEOs are exempt (section 92.012).
| Rule (Labor Code) | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| No state license since 1 September 2017 (92.0115, as amended by SB 2065) | A labor hall may operate if it meets the chapter, unless a local government prohibits it |
| The agency is the employer (92.021) | It hires, directs, reassigns and pays the worker |
| No charges for required safety gear, client-required uniforms, check cashing or receiving wages (92.025) | Deductions are limited to those required by law and repayment of a same-period cash advance |
| Records of each worker's hours, work sites, wages and deductions kept for two years (92.022) | A useful question when you vet one |
| Restrooms, drinking water, seating and food access at the hall (92.024) | Visit before you sign |
| Cities over one million people may set stricter standards (92.013) | Dallas qualifies: the Census Bureau estimates 1,326,087 residents in July 2024 |
PEOs are the other regulated group: they need a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and 21 PEO license records list a Dallas County business address in its October 2026 data.
How to vet a Dallas agency
- Confirm the entity. Search its legal name on the Texas Comptroller's franchise tax account status page. The Comptroller's open data file of active franchise taxpayers (updated 24 October 2026) has 215 records with "staffing" in the name and a Dallas address, so expect several near-identical names.
- Ask for the fill rate, not just the bill rate: the share of ordered shifts it actually filled for clients like you in the last 90 days.
- Get the pay rate, markup and overtime billing as separate lines, and a workers' compensation certificate naming your company.
- For a labor hall, check the Chapter 92 basics: posted charges, no fees for required gear, two years of records.
- Read independent reviews, then call two references. ClearlyRated lists 257 Dallas agencies with client and talent ratings.
Worked example: the fill rate is part of the price
Illustrative example. The company, rates and fill rates are invented to show the arithmetic.
Trinity Bend Foods (trinitybend.example) needs 20 packers per shift, five 8-hour shifts a week: 800 worker-hours. Unfilled hours are covered by its own staff on overtime at $22.00 × 1.5 plus 10% employer costs, or $36.30 an hour.
| Agency A | Agency B | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay rate and markup | $18.00 + 40% | $18.00 + 47% |
| Bill rate | $25.20 | $26.46 |
| Fill rate | 82% | 96% |
| Filled hours × bill rate | 656 × $25.20 = $16,531.20 | 768 × $26.46 = $20,321.28 |
| Unfilled hours × $36.30 | 144 = $5,227.20 | 32 = $1,161.60 |
| Weekly cost | $21,758.40 | $21,482.88 |
Agency B costs $275.52 a week less, $7,163.52 over 26 weeks, before counting missed shipments. Put the fill rate in the contract next to the bill rate.
Selling to Dallas staffing agencies
Dallas is a headquarters market as well as a branch market. Healthcare staffing (AMN) and property management staffing (BGSF) are run from here, so some buying for national networks happens in the county, while the 596 temp help branches buy locally for volume.
| Establishment size | Count | Who usually decides | What they buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 450 | Owner or managing partner | Job ads, applicant tracking, candidate data, insurance |
| 20 to 99 employees | 224 | Branch or operations manager, owner signs | Screening, onboarding, payroll and timekeeping |
| 100 or more | 132 | Regional operations, finance, compliance or HR technology | Workers' compensation programs, credentialing, vendor management integrations |
A plan that works: download the Comptroller file, filter names and Dallas County ZIP codes, then sort firms by what they post. An agency advertising dozens of forklift jobs near the Inland Port needs different things from a search boutique in Uptown, and a healthcare staffer cares most about credential checks before start dates. At volume the account research is the slow part; Bebop finds agencies that match a description and explains why each fits. For method, see how to build a prospect list and the NAICS codes for staffing agencies.
Subject: Credential checks before [date] start dates Hi [first name], I saw [agency] is recruiting [number] [role, e.g. ICU travel nurses] for Dallas hospitals this month. When starts bunch up, the license and credential file is usually what holds a clinician back on day one. We [what you do, e.g. verify licenses and certifications and track expiry dates] and flag gaps [time] before the start. Worth a look before your next start group? [Your name]
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Active Franchise Taxpayers (Texas open data) | Every active franchise taxpayer with name and address, as a download |
| Texas franchise tax account status | Whether one entity is active |
| TDLR PEO licensing | PEO license rules and license search |
| Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas | Public recruiting help and job fairs for employers |
| Dallas Regional Chamber | The regional business chamber |
| City of Dallas Office of Economic Development | Incentive awards and expansion news, a lead source for agencies |
| ClearlyRated: Dallas staffing | Agencies with client and talent ratings |
| ASA member directory | American Staffing Association members by location and job field |
Next step: compare Dallas with the larger temp branches across the county line in staffing agencies in Fort Worth.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- NAICS 561320 Temporary Help Services, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- AMN Healthcare Services, Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 20 February 2026
- BGSF, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 28 December 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission, filed 30 March 2026
- Texas Labor Code Chapter 92, Temporary Common Worker Employers, Public.Law, from Texas Legislature Online, verified 26 May 2025, accessed 30 October 2026
- Texas Labor Code 91.001, Definitions (professional employer services), Public.Law, from Texas Legislature Online, verified 26 May 2025, accessed 30 October 2026
- SB 2065, 85th Legislature, enrolled text (Article 7), Texas Legislature Online, signed 15 June 2017, accessed 30 October 2026
- City and town population totals, Vintage 2024, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- TDLR - All Licenses, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Texas Open Data Portal, updated 19 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Active Franchise Taxpayers, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas Open Data Portal, updated 24 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Job Scams, Federal Trade Commission, accessed 30 October 2026
- Best Dallas Staffing Agencies, ClearlyRated, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many staffing agencies are in Dallas?
Census County Business Patterns counted 806 staffing agency establishments in Dallas County in 2023, employing 41,298 people: 596 temporary help locations, 125 employment placement agencies and 85 executive search offices. The whole Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro has 1,642. These are locations with paid employees, so a national firm counts once per branch and self-employed recruiters aren't included.
Do staffing agencies need a license in Texas?
Temp help firms don't need the license Texas does issue, which is for professional employer organizations: Labor Code section 91.001 excludes temporary help from it. Chapter 92 sets standards for day labor agencies that run a labor hall, but its state license was replaced in 2017 by an authority to operate. PEOs need a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, searchable online.
Do Dallas staffing agencies charge job seekers?
A reputable agency is paid by the employer. The Federal Trade Commission says honest placement firms don't typically charge candidates and advises walking away from any firm that asks for a fee, especially in advance. For day labor halls, Texas Labor Code section 92.025 also bars charging workers for required safety equipment, client-required uniforms, check cashing or receiving their wages.
What public staffing companies are based in Dallas?
Two SEC-registered staffing companies list Dallas headquarters in their 2025 annual reports. AMN Healthcare Services, a healthcare staffing and workforce company, reported $2,730.4 million in 2025 revenue. BGSF, which supplies maintenance and office staff to property management companies, reported $93.3 million for its fiscal year ended 28 December 2025, after selling its Professional segment in September 2025.
How do I compare two staffing agency quotes?
Compare the weekly cost, not the bill rate. Ask each agency for its pay rate, markup, overtime billing and fill rate on similar orders, then add what unfilled shifts cost you in overtime or lost output. In an illustrative Dallas example, an agency charging $26.46 an hour with a 96% fill rate cost $275.52 a week less than one charging $25.20 with an 82% fill rate.