MSP appointment setting in Austin: who to call first

8 things to know before prospecting MSP in Austin

1. 012,302 IT services firms work the Austin-Round Rock metro (-13 in a year), 1.7 times the national concentration.
2. 021.4 target businesses per IT firm ranks Austin #92 of 100 markets and #6 of 6 in Texas.
3. 03The biggest buyer group is construction contractors: 695 sites with 20 to 499 employees.
4. 04Austin-Round Rock over-indexes on real estate brokerages and property management offices at 1.60x the national mix, so build references inside that group.
5. 05Medical, dental and outpatient practices added 124 establishments in a year: new sites without a managed service provider relationship.
6. 06Tier 1 is 615 sites with 50 to 499 employees among construction contractors and medical, dental and outpatient practices; those deserve two or three contacts each.
7. 07Travis County and Williamson County hold 90% of the target businesses across 5 counties.
8. 08Houston (64 miles) has more target businesses per IT firm, if your engineers can cover it.

These are the 12 industries Abstrakt's SDRs call for MSP work, with how many of each are in the Austin-Round Rock metro and who to ask for. Compared with the U.S. as a whole, Austin-Round Rock leans toward real estate brokerages and property management offices (1.60x), wealth management and investment firms (1.46x) and architecture and engineering firms (1.44x). Build the list around those categories. Nonprofits and member organizations and wholesale distributors are thinner than the national mix, so treat them as selective targets.

1. 01
   Construction contractors695

   Ask for: Owner or president 297 with 50 to 499 employees 1.03x U.S. mix -134 in a year
2. 02
   Medical, dental and outpatient practices606

   Ask for: Practice administrator 189 with 50 to 499 employees 1.11x U.S. mix +124 in a year
3. 03
   Wholesale distributors383

   Ask for: Owner or president 129 with 50 to 499 employees 0.79x U.S. mix -112 in a year
4. 04
   Manufacturers374

   Ask for: Owner or president 168 with 50 to 499 employees 0.91x U.S. mix
5. 05
   Architecture and engineering firms239

   Ask for: Principal or owner 64 with 50 to 499 employees 1.44x U.S. mix -18 in a year
6. 06
   Private schools and education providers235

   Ask for: Head of school or director 82 with 50 to 499 employees 1.36x U.S. mix +40 in a year
7. 07
   Nonprofits and member organizations222

   Ask for: Executive director 64 with 50 to 499 employees 0.78x U.S. mix -24 in a year
8. 08
   Real estate brokerages and property management offices125

   Ask for: Broker-owner 46 with 50 to 499 employees 1.60x U.S. mix +5 in a year
9. 09
   Law firms120

   Ask for: Managing partner 41 with 50 to 499 employees 1.27x U.S. mix -7 in a year
10. 10
    Insurance agencies and brokerages68

    Ask for: Agency principal or owner 34 with 50 to 499 employees 0.92x U.S. mix -13 in a year
11. 11
    Wealth management and investment firms67

    Ask for: Firm principal 23 with 50 to 499 employees 1.46x U.S. mix +31 in a year
12. 12
    Accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms59

    Ask for: Managing partner 22 with 50 to 499 employees 1.11x U.S. mix -12 in a year

Businesses are establishments with 20 to 499 employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023), the small and mid-sized range MSPs sell to; the SBA Office of Advocacy counts firms under 500 employees as small businesses. Change and concentration: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2.

Insurance agencies and brokerages run larger in Austin than across our 100 metros, which puts more of them in Tier 1. Architecture and engineering firms run smaller, so that group needs a seat-count question before a meeting is booked.

• Construction contractors are the largest group in Austin with 695 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (1,697): close to the national mix, down 134 establishments in a year, and typical in size (23% with 50 or more employees).

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices are the second-largest group in Austin with 606 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (1,561): close to the national mix, up 124 establishments in a year, and typical in size (13% with 50 or more employees).

• Wholesale distributors are the third-largest group in Austin with 383 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (1,586): less concentrated than nationally (0.79x), down 112 establishments in a year, and typical in size (19% with 50 or more employees).

• Manufacturers are the fourth-largest group in Austin with 374 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (1,741): close to the national mix, flat over the year, and typical in size (28% with 50 or more employees).

• Architecture and engineering firms are the fifth-largest group in Austin with 239 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (595): more concentrated than nationally (1.44x), down 18 establishments in a year, and smaller than across our 100 metros (16% have 50 or more employees, against 22%), so confirm the seat count early on the call.

• Private schools and education providers are the sixth-largest group in Austin with 235 businesses of 20 to 499 employees, fewer than Houston has (456): more concentrated than nationally (1.36x), up 40 establishments in a year, and typical in size (20% with 50 or more employees).

After those six come nonprofits and member organizations (222), real estate brokerages and property management offices (125), law firms (120), insurance agencies and brokerages (68), wealth management and investment firms (67) and accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (59), smaller groups to work by fit rather than volume.

Where a rule or a client review puts a date on security work in Austin: medical, dental and outpatient practices (606, HIPAA), manufacturers (374, CMMC where they supply defense work), law firms (120, client security questionnaires), insurance agencies and brokerages (68, carrier and state insurance data security requirements), wealth management and investment firms (67, SEC and FINRA exams) and accounting, tax and bookkeeping firms (59, the FTC Safeguards Rule); together, 1,294 businesses where the first message can lead with the requirement instead of the service.

What leads in each core county

• Travis County: construction contractors (420), medical, dental and outpatient practices (405) and wholesale distributors (291) lead its 2,219 target businesses.
• Williamson County: construction contractors (176), medical, dental and outpatient practices (137) and manufacturers (101) lead its 625 target businesses.
• Hays County: construction contractors (76), manufacturers (54) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (51) lead its 250 target businesses.
• Bastrop County: manufacturers (14), construction contractors (11) and medical, dental and outpatient practices (6) lead its 38 target businesses.

Employee bands: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, establishments with 10 to 499 employees; suppressed size classes count as zero. Concentration and one-year change: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2025 Q2. The 100-metro average is the same share summed across every market we publish.

2,302 IT services firms are based in the Austin-Round Rock metro. That is 13 fewer than a year ago. When an IT firm closes or sells, its customers go looking for a new one. The IT services industry is 1.7 times the national concentration. Business owners and office managers here already hear from managed service providers, and a specific reason to talk beats a generic pitch. 1.4 target businesses per IT firm puts Austin 92 of 100 markets, and 6 of 6 in Texas. That is toward the crowded end, so growth here comes mostly from displacing incumbents at renewal. If you can serve Houston and San Antonio, they have more target businesses per IT firm than Austin.

Tier 1 covers construction contractors, medical, dental and outpatient practices and wholesale distributors with 50 to 499 employees.

Travis County and Williamson County hold 90% of the target businesses across the 5-county metro. The other 3 counties split the remaining 10%, which is where Tier 1 accounts justify the drive and smaller sites do not.

A new office or location needs network, devices and security set up before people move in, and the provider who does that work is in the best position to support it after.

• Medical, dental and outpatient practices: 124 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a new location, a HIPAA risk assessment, an EHR or practice management change, a security incident.

• Private schools and education providers: 40 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a device refresh, a wireless upgrade, a new building, a summer project list, a security incident.

• Wealth management and investment firms: 31 more establishments than a year ago

  In this category the usual openings are a regulatory exam, a custodian or broker-dealer requirement, a firm breakaway or merger, a security incident.

• Construction contractors: 134 fewer establishments than a year ago

  An acquisition puts a business under new owners, who usually review who runs IT and fold it into their own systems.

• 13 fewer managed service providers than a year ago

  Clients of an IT firm that closed, retired or sold have to decide who supports them next.

More questions for every prospect type, and how to follow up after the meeting, are in the MSP prospecting playbook.

If your engineers travel, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and McAllen are the closest metros we track. Here are the same counts used above for Austin.

• Houston, TX

  64 miles away, with 9,095 target businesses and 3,000 IT services firms, or 3.0 businesses per IT firm (#43 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is manufacturers, and it over-indexes on medical, dental and outpatient practices at 1.42x the national mix.

• San Antonio, TX

  111 miles away, with 2,733 target businesses and 831 IT services firms, or 3.3 businesses per IT firm (#39 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices.

• Dallas, TX

  218 miles away, with 10,653 target businesses and 6,156 IT services firms, or 1.7 businesses per IT firm (#79 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices.

• McAllen, TX

  261 miles away, with 630 target businesses and 46 IT services firms, or 13.7 businesses per IT firm (#2 of 100 markets); the largest buyer group is medical, dental and outpatient practices.