Engineering services represent roughly 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 .
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 . This list represents firms that focus primarily on engineering versus the larger full-service conglomerates. We looked at the and [#section-one]separately.[#section-one]
35 Top Engineering Companies for 2022
1. $3.2B revenue
2. $2.0B revenue
3. $1.3B revenue
4. $1.0B revenue
5. $1.0B revenue
6. $970M revenue
7. $952M revenue
8. $718M revenue
9. $318M revenue
10. $249M revenue
11. $234M revenue
12. $228M revenue
13. $209M revenue
14. $192M revenue
15. $177M revenue
16. $146M revenue
17. $114M revenue
18. $102M revenue
19. $88M revenue
20. $82M revenue
21. $76M revenue
22. $75M revenue
23. $72M revenue
24. $64M revenue
25. $59M revenue
26. $53M revenue
27. $45M revenue
28. $42M revenue
29. $41M revenue
30. $40M revenue
31. $39M revenue
32. $38M revenue
33. $35M revenue
34. $35M revenue
35. [#section-two]$32M revenue[#section-two]
$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
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 .
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1966
- 450 offices
- 21,000 team members
- $3.2 billion annual revenue
2. 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 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
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 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
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 in April 2021.
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1960
- 155 offices
- 7,000 team members
- $1.0 billion annual revenue
5. 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 .
Quick Facts
- Founded in 1949
- 30 offices
- 5,100 team members
- $1.0 billion annual [#section-three]revenue[#section-three]
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 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 . This isn’t just about technical consulting. It’s also about what technologies are powering your organization. The best firms use technology like and to build more scalable, intelligent, and profitable organizations.
The future for the global engineering services market is bright. It’s expected to reach. 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.