Design firms were hopeful at the beginning of the year, anticipating that 2020 would bring the tenth year of straight growth. Those hopes for a decade-long boon were dashed, however, as the coronavirus emerged as a public health emergency in the United States in late January. Officials issued quarantine orders and work began to slow down—and in some jurisdictions—halt. Design firms, like the rest of the economy, are watching day by day to see how their markets will be impacted long term.
Taking a look back at last year, the rise in the markets can be seen in the data collected on revenue earned in 2019 from the participants of Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) Top 500 Design Firms list. ENR, a sister publication to Floor Trends, reported that as a group, the firms had a record total design revenue of $103.24 billion in 2019—up 2.1% from $101.16 billion in 2018. Market growth was up on the domestic side, rising 8.9% to $86.80 billion in 2019 from $80.55 billion in 2018. But revenue from projects outside the U.S. fell 20.2%, to $16.44 billion. The following is a snapshot of the Top 50 Design Firms. For the complete list, visit enr.com.