REPORT INTRODUCTION
Environment Analyst’s US Environmental & Sustainability Consulting Market Assessment reveals the market surged to $22.3bn in 2023, marking a 20% year-on-year increase and almost triple earlier forecasts. Despite this strong performance, consultants should prepare as political and economic conditions are expected to slow growth significantly.
While 2024 is projected to see a 16% increase, longer-term projections are tempered, with our model forecasting the sector to reach $29.2bn by 2028, at a CAGR of 5.5%. However, this does leave $7bn of market expansion left to play for before 2028.
The report and data pack are based on data from 27 leading US E&S consulting firms who account for 75% of the total US market, and provides critical insights into market dynamics, industry rankings, revenue breakdowns, M&A activity and forecasted growth.
Global Core and Leader members can access the report and data pack. If you are not a member please visit our website or contact us to learn more.
US E&S CONSULTING MARKET SIZE
The US Market Assessment report and accompanying excel data pack include:
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A comprehensive assessment of the E&S operations, business models and strategies of the 27 most prominent companies operating in the US market
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Industry rankings, benchmark data and KPIs (including year-on-year E&S revenue growth, average contract value, revenue per head and staffing changes and industry M&A activity by deal and its value)
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Revenue breakdowns by company, client sectors, service areas and top ten states for FY23
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Industry M&A transaction & structure analysis
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Forecast market growth by region, client sector and service area to 2028
View the full list of contents and figures here.
REPORT CONTENTS
LEADING US 27 COMPANIES
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HEADLINE FINDINGS
The market surged to $22.3bn in 2023, marking a 20% year-on-year increase and almost triple earlier forecasts
The market is forecast to grow by $7bn between 2023 and 2028, reaching $29.2bn. Meeting this demand will require 22,000 more specialists.
With revenues at $16.7bn in 2023, the US Top 27 firms accounted for 75% of the total US market. Five firms – Tetra Tech, AECOM, WSP, Stantec and TRC Companies – made up 43% of the market, up significantly from 2019.
Energy and utilities overtook government and regulatory by market share, growing 33% year-on-year and adding over $8bn to the market
Average contract value ($58k) and revenue per head ($261k) rose at modest CAGRs of 4% and 3% between 2019 and 2023
Our model forecasts US E&S consulting revenue to rise 16.1% in 2024, but this growth is set to drop sharply to just 4% in 2025 and 3% annually through 2028
The AEC sector trend to embed sustainability into their group business strategies is under threat as the new administration rolls back green policies
A subtle shift towards more traditional service areas, like contaminated land and EHS services, emerged in 2023
VERIFIED DATA YOU CAN TRUST
Environment Analyst conducts an annual company profile survey, inviting E&S consultancies to submit detailed financial and operational data, which is compiled into our proprietary database, with historical records dating back to the early 2010s.
Where gaps exist, we refer to publicly available sources such as national financial registries and company annual reports. Each profiled firm is given the opportunity to review and verify their data on an ongoing basis, ensuring the information we publish is accurate, consistent, and fairly represents each consultancy.
Environment Analyst also closely tracks macroeconomic trends—such as inflation, GDP growth, political shifts, and regulatory developments—across global and regional markets to inform our forecasting model. We also monitor M&A activity within the E&S consulting sector and the broader professional services landscape to distinguish between organic and acquisitive growth, ensuring a comprehensive market outlook.
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Our data and rankings are trusted and shared in the financial year ending reporting and accounts of WSP, Jacobs, RSK, Kleinfelder, Antea Group, Inogen Alliance, EA Engineering and more.
WHY DO YOU NEED THE REPORT?
Our actionable market intelligence is used by 15,000+ E&S consulting professionals worldwide to inform their business and investment strategies, benchmark performance against competitors, and understand how to adjust to align with evolving markets and global trends to reach strategic goals.
EA is instrumental in keeping us informed about emerging industry trends, and provides us with an external perspective. This helps us calibrate our strategy, identify trends and focus on key areas.
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Alicia Darrow, Director, Marketing & Communications – The Americas, Environment, GHD
We base lots of our decisions on the information Environment Analyst shares every year, and it helps us determine the direction of our business. It's the anchor of our business strategy.
Itza Acosta, VP I Global Head of Marketing and Communications, Earth and Environment at WSP
The comprehensive data in Environment Analyst's market intelligence reports helps us stay ahead of the curve, ensuring we can effectively advise our clients on navigating complex ESG challenges and achieving their business goals.
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Raimond Baumans, Chief Marketing Officer at Antea Group USA
OUR MARKET DEFINITION
Environment Analyst’s definition of environmental & sustainability consulting is:
"The provision of specialist technical, management, risk, analytics and strategic advisory services to help organisations understand, manage, and minimise their impacts to protect and enhance the environment and communities, and proactively respond to climate change, the nature crisis and associated impacts.”
