Surveying and Mapping Services
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 7,000 surveying and mapping service providers collect data to determine property boundaries and create maps of the Earth’s surface, including the sea floor. The processes of surveying and mapping involve measurement, documentation, and representation of the Earth’s features. Surveying is used for land planning and development, construction, infrastructure planning, real estate transactions, environmental management, navigation, and geographical analysis. Determining the boundaries, elevation, and topography of an area is critical in construction work.
Dependence on Construction and Real Estate Industries and Economic Conditions
Demand for surveying and mapping services is driven primarily by the construction and real estate industries, which are cyclical and affected by changes in economic conditions.
Drones and UAVs
The use of aerial drones and uncrewed or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is growing as surveyors look for ways to cut costs and operate more efficiently.
Industry size & Structure
The average surveying and mapping company operates out of a single location, employs about seven workers, and generates about $1 million annually.
- The surveying and mapping industry consists of over 7,000 firms that employ over 53,000 workers and generate over $7 billion annually.
- The industry is fragmented with the top 50 companies accounting for about 33% of industry revenue.
- Firms that generate less than $1 million account for over 70% of the industry. Firms that generate $5 million or more account for more than 45% of the industry revenue.
- Surveying and mapping firms are primarily local businesses; most companies are small, independent operators that serve a limited geographical market. Larger firms have a regional or multi-state presence. Major engineering and construction companies, like Dewberry and Stantec, provide surveying and mapping as part of their comprehensive services.
- Independent surveying firms may consist of a single licensed land surveyor and an assistant. Mid-size firms employ teams of five to 50 workers overseen by one to two licensed surveyors and may offer related professional services. The largest firms manage 50 to 1,000 employees and work in multiple states.
Industry Forecast
Surveying and Mapping Services Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Dec 13, 2024 - Housing Market May Not Rebound in 2025
- The 2024 housing market is on track to be the slowest in nearly 30 years as high mortgage rates and home prices combined with extremely low housing inventories have kept homeowners locked in place and would-be homebuyers priced out of the market, according to The New York Times. The National Association of Realtors estimates that four million homes will be sold in 2024, marking the second straight year of historically weak activity and the slowest home sales since 1995. Market observers note that the housing crisis is a product of weak supply. Builders have struggled amid lingering pandemic-era problems, including high borrowing, labor, and materials costs. Freddie Mac estimates the housing shortage equals about 3.7 million homes. The outlook for 2025 remains uncertain as home prices and mortgage rates are expected to remain stubbornly high.
- According to a White House fact sheet released in mid-November, only 47% of the $1.7 trillion ($568 billion in funding through 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has been announced. The Biden administration is working to get the remaining dollars allocated before Donald Trump takes office, according to AP News. While some Biden administration officials worried that Trump could scale back or eliminate some Biden-era spending, pulling back IIJA funding could be difficult. The IIJA has benefitted many Republican-leaning states and districts, according to the Global Infrastructure Investment Association. Some industry observers doubt there will be any significant effort to pull back infrastructure spending.
- The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Backlog Indicator fell 0.1 months to 8.4 months in November compared to a year earlier. November backlogs were flat from October. The infrastructure backlog increased by 0.8 months in November 2024 to 8.7 months over the same month a year earlier. However, November’s commercial and institutional construction backlog fell 0.1 months to 8.5 months year-over-year, and the heavy industrial backlog fell by 0.1 months to 8.7 months over the same period. The ABC’s Construction Confidence Index for sales rose to 57 in November from 53.1 in October. A Confidence Index sales reading of 50 or more indicates most contractors are optimistic about sales. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said, “Contractor confidence surged in November even though backlog was unchanged for the month. This sudden improvement in confidence reflects increased policy certainty in the wake of November’s presidential election, and contractors are optimistic about the prospect of falling borrowing costs over the next several quarters. Though backlog contracted in the commercial and institutional and heavy industry categories last month, contractors expect increased activity in privately financed segments during the next six months.”
- In the third quarter of 2024, there were about 24,000 single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR) housing starts in the US, up 41% from the same period in 2023, according to National Association of Home Builders analysis of US Census Bureau data. During the four most recent quarters, 92,000 SFBFR homes began construction, which is up 31% compared to how many were built in the previous four-quarter period. While the historical four-quarter moving average market share for SFBFR is about 2.7% (1992-2012), SFBFR’s current four-quarter moving average market share is about 7.5%. Single-family built-for-rent homes provide an alternative for consumers who want more space but are challenged by a lack of affordable housing inventory, high interest rates, and downpayment requirements in the for-sale market.
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