US Administrative and Waste Management Services Sector
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 455,718 establishments in the administrative and waste management services sector are comprised of industries that provide routine support to other organizations. The sector includes firms that provide employment services, investigative and security services, travel arrangements and reservations, waste management and remediation, services to buildings and dwellings, and business, office, and administrative support services. Firms typically operate as third-party contractors and may serve a variety of industries or individual households.
Client Industries Vulnerable to Economic Change
Demand for administrative support and waste management services is driven by the financial performance of customer industries, which can be vulnerable to downturns in the economy.
Solid Waste Tonnage and Recycling Rates Rise over Time
Waste generation has risen fairly steadily over time, and recycling and composting rates have increased as well.
Industry size & Structure
The administrative and waste management services sector is comprised of 455,718 establishments that employ 9.4 million workers and generate $1.47 trillion in annual revenue, according to government sources.
- The administrative and waste management services sector represents 3.1% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 6.1% of the country's workers.
- The sector is fragmented with the 20 largest firms representing 20.8% of revenue.
- In addition to employer establishments, the administrative and waste management services sector has 2.6 million owner-operated establishments with no employees. Subsectors with the highest numbers of nonemployer establishments are services to dwellings (63%); office administrative services (12%); and business support services (9%). The owners of nonemployer firms typically perform the work and may outsource support functions like marketing and accounting.
- The administrative and waste management services sector has shed about 38,500 establishments annually, which equals about 10.6% of existing establishments. However, the sector has added about 42,900 new establishments annually, which is equivalent to 11.8% of existing establishments. As a result, the sector has an average growth rate of 1.2%.
Industry Forecast
US Administrative and Waste Management Services Sector Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Dec 2, 2024 - Office Market Shows Signs of Improvement
- The US office market posted higher net absorption in the third quarter, and vacancy rates remained steady, perhaps signaling that demand for office space has hit bottom and is back on the upswing, according to a recent report by the real estate firm CBRE. Net absorption in Q3 hit 4.3 million square feet – up about 87% from Q2 2024 – which marked the second consecutive quarter of increasing office space demand. Absorption also exceeded the 3.5 million square feet of new office space that came online in Q3 2024. The office vacancy rate in Q3 2024 was unchanged at 19%, a positive signal after nine quarters of rising vacancies. Third-quarter leasing activity decreased slightly from Q2 2024 but rose more than 11% over Q3 2023. Higher office occupancy could increase demand for several types of administrative services, including employment services, janitorial, security, pest control, landscaping, and facilities support services.
- Some of the largest waste-hauling firms saw their recycling-related third-quarter revenues rise amid higher commodity prices for several types of recyclable materials. Republic Service’s recycling revenue grew 41.6% in Q3 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and Waste Connections’ recycling segment saw a rise of 93%. Waste Management’s recycling operations’ revenues increased by more than 41%.
- In mid-November, a federal judge in Texas struck down a Department of Labor (DOL) rule that expanded overtime pay for US workers. In April 2024, the DOL issued final regulations that raised the salary threshold for white-collar workers to receive overtime. As a result of the DOL rule, the annual salary threshold increased to $43,888 from $35,568. The Texas court ruling blocks a second increase that would have raised the threshold to $58,656, which was scheduled to take effect in January 2025. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers must pay overtime for working more than 40 hours per week. However, salaried workers with some executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) duties and a minimum salary are exempt from the overtime rule. The federal judge in Texas ruled that by setting the salary threshold as high as it did, the DOL created a “de facto ‘salary only’ test for the EAP exemption.” The Texas court ruling will strip an estimated 1 million workers of overtime eligibility. The Texas lawsuit was brought by a coalition of business and trade associations led by the Chamber of Commerce in Plano, Texas.
- Economic forecasters’ view of the US labor market is mainly optimistic, according to the most recent survey of economists by The Wall Street Journal. Overall, the panel of 66 economists’ view of the jobs situation was generally in line with the previous survey in July 2024. They expect the US employment rate will be about 4.2% by the end of the year and that the US will add an average of about 130,400 jobs per month over the next year. While the forecasters’ view does mark a slight cooling of the US labor market, they do not expect a significant increase in unemployment.
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