Engineering services represent roughly $262 billion in annual revenue in the US alone, according to the US Department of Commerce’s Select USA program. More than 75,000 firms contribute to this market. Even though there are a few industry giants, IBISWorld reports that not even the top engineering firms have more than a 5% market share.
There are four main branches of engineering—civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical—with many large firms providing services in more than one area. Because engineering goes hand-in-hand with architecture and construction, the biggest engineering firms often have full-scale architecture and construction divisions.
Below, we’ve listed 30 of the top engineering firms in the US, based on revenue figures reported by ZoomInfo. This list represents firms that focus primarily on engineering versus the larger full-service conglomerates. We looked at the largest construction companies and top architecture firms separately.
35 Top Engineering Companies for 2022
1. Tetra Tech High Performance Buildings Group, $3.2B revenue
2. Arup, $2.0B revenue
3. Arcadis North America, $1.3B revenue
4. Golder, $1.0B revenue
5. M.C. Dean, $1.0B revenue
6. TRC Companies, $970M revenue
7. Terracon Consultants, $952M revenue
8. Langan, $718M revenue
9. Syska Hennessy Group, $318M revenue
10. Olsson, $249M revenue
11. Jensen Hughes, $234M revenue
12. KPFF Consulting Engineers, $228M revenue
13. IMEG Corp., $209M revenue
14. Henderson Engineers, $192M revenue
15. Jaros, Baum & Bolles, $177M revenue
16. Pennoni, $146M revenue
17. Walter P Moore, $114M revenue
18. ME Engineers, $102M revenue
19. DeSimone Consulting Engineers, $88M revenue
20. Vanderweil Engineers, $82M revenue
21. Smith Seckman Reid, $76M revenue
22. Affiliated Engineers Inc., $75M revenue
23. TLC Engineering Solutions, $72M revenue
24. AKF Group, $64M revenue
25. Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers, $59M revenue
26. CMTA, $53M revenue
27. French & Parrello Associates, $45M revenue
28. Mazzetti, $42M revenue
29. Arora Engineers, $41M revenue
30. raSmith, $40M revenue
31. I.C. Thomasson Associates, $39M revenue
32. M/E Engineering, $38M revenue
33. HEAPY, $35M revenue
34. Newcomb & Boyd, $35M revenue
35. P2S, $32M revenue
$1 Billion+ Engineering Firms
Only five firms on this list generate a billion dollars or more in annual revenue: Tetra Tech, Arup, Arcadis, Golder, and M.C. Dean. Here are some quick details about these top engineering firms.
1. Tetra Tech High-Performance Building Group
Tetra Tech is a global consulting and engineering services provider. It primarily supports commercial and government clients focused on water, environment, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and international development. Services include design and engineering, defense services, climate change services, disaster recovery, emergency management, surveying and mapping, and more.
Its fiscal year is clearly off to a fantastic start, as proven by first-quarter results.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1966
- 450 offices
- 21,000 team members
- $3.2 billion annual revenue
2. Arup
Arup is a services company that provides engineering, design, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment. The firm delivers the full spectrum of engineering services plus a suite of other offerings—including building services, electrical, fire, mechanical, public health, structural, bridge, civil, maritime, rail, water, vibration, and wind engineering.
Arup prides itself on equality. The firm has received a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equity for the last two years.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1946
- 90 offices
- 16,000 team members
- $2 billion annual revenue
3. Arcadis North America
Arcadis is a global engineering, design, and consulting firm that provides sustainable solutions for built environments. Its primary sectors of focus are industrial manufacturing, technology, energy and resources, and real estate and infrastructure.
The firm’s 2021 annual report revealed strong organic growth, improved margins, and healthy cash flow.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1888
- 350 offices
- 29,000 team members
- $1.3 billion annual Americas revenue
4. Golder
Golder is a global engineering and consulting organization that specializes in earth, environment, and energy. It primarily serves the mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, transportation, government, and power sectors.
Golder merged with the worldwide sustainable engineering firm WSP in April 2021.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1960
- 155 offices
- 7,000 team members
- $1.0 billion annual revenue
5. M.C. Dean
M.C. Dean is a multi-national systems integration and engineering firm that designs, builds, operates, and maintains cyber-physical solutions. Capabilities include electrical engineering, electronic security, instrumentation and control, and command-and-control systems.
The firm has seen an impressive 25% growth in the last year.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1949
- 30 offices
- 5,100 team members
- $1.0 billion annual revenue
What Makes a Billion-Dollar Engineering Firm?
Scaling to a billion dollars isn’t easy. Aside from the five firms that we looked at above, only 13 others on this list have reached more than 10% of this goal. And there are 75,000 more organizations trying to secure a bigger market share.
So what can other high-growth firms learn from these billion-dollar giants on their quest to scale?
It takes a global footprint.
All of these firms operate in more than one country. In fact, three out of the top five don’t even have their headquarters in the US. Although the US engineering services market is healthy and represents roughly 30% of the total, the global market opportunity is three times bigger.
Offer multiple service lines.
One thing is clear from the top five engineering firms on this list—you can’t grow to a billion dollars by specializing in one service line. They all offer an array of capabilities across numerous sectors. If your firm’s project portfolio is concentrated in one or two areas of specialty, or your clients are all in the same industry, consider diversifying services.
Constant innovation is non-negotiable.
Innovation is essential for any business trying to gain a competitive advantage, but it’s particularly important for engineering firms. Engineers are the world’s biggest problem-solvers. Because the world is constantly evolving, so too are the challenges we face. If you want to be the best in class, you must be committed to continually finding new and better solutions.
Technology is a key differentiator.
The top engineering firms lead with a technology-centric approach. This isn’t just about technical consulting. It’s also about what technologies are powering your organization. The best firms use technology like business intelligence tools and resource management software to build more scalable, intelligent, and profitable organizations.
The future for the global engineering services market is bright. It’s expected to reach $2 trillion by 2026. With the right recipe and approach, there are still plenty of opportunities for up-and-coming firms to secure their positions as top engineering companies.
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