Engineering services employed 9.8 million people in the United States in a recent year. Industry output grew 1.7% year-over-year in a recent quarter, reflecting momentum alongside digital shifts.
Key Takeaways
- 9.8 million people employed in the United States in engineering services (NAICS 5413), based on 2023 employment estimates
- 1,000+ engineering and architecture firms in the U.S. with 500+ employees (US Census Business Dynamics proxy)
- 3.7 million engineering-related workers in the EU (labor count estimate for engineering and related construction professionals)
- $1.99 trillion global construction market size in 2024, of which engineering/construction services are a large component
- $1.6 billion global revenue of the engineering consulting industry in 2022 (turnkey engineering consulting spend proxy)
- $2.2 billion in global engineering software revenue in 2024 (engineering design software market)
- 1.7% year-over-year growth in U.S. engineering and architectural services output in 2024 Q3 (BEA industry output)
- 23% of engineering firms cite regulatory compliance as a top driver of digital transformation (survey-based industry insight)
- $6.1 billion worldwide civil engineering spend on AI/analytics in 2023 (market estimate for construction and engineering analytics)
- 18% of engineering project owners report cost overruns due to design errors, indicating quality/cycle-time impact (survey-based estimate)
- $10.5 million median annualized savings per large infrastructure owner achieved via digital engineering programs (reported benefits figure)
- 35% of engineering organizations report using project controls dashboards for schedule forecasting (survey measure)
- 2.5x faster approvals reported by jurisdictions using structured digital permitting workflows (time-to-permit metric)
- 78% of firms report that collaboration platforms improved coordination efficiency (survey statistic)
- 27% of AEC firms report using digital twins on active projects (adoption rate)
Engineering services are growing, with digital tools, AI, and better compliance driving productivity and reducing design and schedule losses.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$1.99 trillion global construction market size in 2024, of which engineering/construction services are a large component
02
$1.6 billion global revenue of the engineering consulting industry in 2022 (turnkey engineering consulting spend proxy)
03
$2.2 billion in global engineering software revenue in 2024 (engineering design software market)
04
$26.7 billion U.S. engineering and architectural services receipts in 2022 (US Census services trade/industry receipts)
05
1.9% of U.S. engineering and architectural services value added share in GDP (BEA industry value added)
06
$1.4 billion global market for engineering procurement and construction (EPC) project management software in 2024 (EPC software market)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In 2024 the engineering services market spans from $2.2 billion in engineering design software and $1.4 billion in EPC project management software to a much broader construction base of $1.99 trillion, showing how software and consulting are scaling inside a rapidly growing core industry.
02 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
1.7% year-over-year growth in U.S. engineering and architectural services output in 2024 Q3 (BEA industry output)
02
23% of engineering firms cite regulatory compliance as a top driver of digital transformation (survey-based industry insight)
03
$6.1 billion worldwide civil engineering spend on AI/analytics in 2023 (market estimate for construction and engineering analytics)
04
50% of engineering firms expect AI to improve productivity within 2 years (forecast from survey)
05
60% of engineering firms plan to increase spending on cybersecurity for connected engineering systems within 12 months (security investment survey)
06
$1.8 trillion global critical infrastructure protection spending expected by 2030 (public infrastructure security spending projection)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under the Industry Trends lens, engineering services are clearly accelerating their digital transformation as shown by the 1.7% year-over-year rise in U.S. engineering and architectural output in 2024 Q3 alongside firms targeting AI and analytics, with 50% expecting AI-driven productivity gains within 2 years and 60% planning cybersecurity spend for connected systems in the next 12 months.
03 · Category
Workforce & Employment5 stats
01
9.8 million people employed in the United States in engineering services (NAICS 5413), based on 2023 employment estimates
02
1,000+ engineering and architecture firms in the U.S. with 500+ employees (US Census Business Dynamics proxy)
03
3.7 million engineering-related workers in the EU (labor count estimate for engineering and related construction professionals)
04
9% unemployment in engineering-related occupations in the U.S. (BLS occupational unemployment measure for engineers)
05
11.5 million construction and engineering-related jobs in the U.S. in 2023 (BLS employment aggregation for construction and related)
Interpretation
Workforce & Employment Interpretation
The workforce data show that engineering services and related roles employ tens of millions across the US and EU, with 9.8 million people working in US engineering services while US unemployment for engineering-related occupations stands at 9%, underscoring both the sector’s large employment base and the ongoing employment slack within this workforce category.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
35% of engineering organizations report using project controls dashboards for schedule forecasting (survey measure)
02
2.5x faster approvals reported by jurisdictions using structured digital permitting workflows (time-to-permit metric)
03
78% of firms report that collaboration platforms improved coordination efficiency (survey statistic)
04
41% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for building design projects using energy modeling software (reported outcomes)
05
10% reduction in energy use intensity from retrofits designed with advanced simulation (measured program outcomes)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics are increasingly showing tangible gains from digital and analytics tools, with 78% of firms reporting better coordination efficiency and major sustainability impacts like a 41% greenhouse gas emissions reduction and a 10% energy use intensity drop.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
18% of engineering project owners report cost overruns due to design errors, indicating quality/cycle-time impact (survey-based estimate)
02
$10.5 million median annualized savings per large infrastructure owner achieved via digital engineering programs (reported benefits figure)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis in engineering services shows that design errors drive cost overruns for 18% of project owners, while digital engineering programs can still deliver a median $10.5 million in annualized savings for large infrastructure owners.
06 · Category
Industry Overview6 stats
01
27% of AEC firms report using digital twins on active projects (adoption rate)
02
26% of construction and engineering firms report adopting cloud project management tools (adoption survey)
03
61% of breaches involve credential theft (DBIR statistic used across industries)
04
73% of organizations use multi-factor authentication to reduce the likelihood of successful logins (survey statistic)
05
$180B expected annual value of infrastructure construction in the EU by 2027 (infrastructure pipeline estimate)
06
$79.3 billion U.S. R&D expenditures in engineering in 2021 (NSF field-based R&D)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the Engineering Services industry, adoption and security pressures are moving in parallel, with 27% of AEC firms already using digital twins and 26% adopting cloud project management tools while 73% rely on multi-factor authentication and 61% of breaches stem from credential theft.
report visual · Comparison
Where engineering is heading: digital transformation, AI, and security
Surveys and forecasts show a strong push toward AI-enabled productivity gains and higher cybersecurity investment—plus broad adoption of digital tools like digital twins and cloud platforms.
60% of engineering firms plan to increase spending on cybersecurity for connected engineering systems within 12 months (60%
50% of engineering firms expect AI to improve productivity within 2 years (forecast from survey)
50%
27% of AEC firms report using digital twins on active projects (adoption rate)
27%
26% of construction and engineering firms report adopting cloud project management tools (adoption survey)
26%
source-verifiedmckinsey.com · ibm.com · gartner.com · capgemini.com
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Engineering Services Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/engineering-services-industry-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Engineering Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/engineering-services-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Engineering Services Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/engineering-services-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)