Plunkett's Consulting Industry Almanac 2026

Jack W. Plunkett is CEO & Publisher of Plunkett Research, Ltd., a Houston-based provider of market research and industry information in printed and electronic formats. Plunkett Research provides analysis, statistics and other vital data on all major industry sectors, from InfoTech to Retailing to Banking and Internet of Things. Plunkett's client list includes 10,000 leading corporations, universities and government agencies worldwide. Plunkett's products are distributed electronically through subscriptions to its online service, and around the globe by major distributors, including ThomsonReuters.Jack Plunkett is the author of numerous books, including the gold medal-winning The Next Boom: What you absolutely, positively have to know about the world between now and 2025. Plunkett is frequently interviewed as an expert source by publications such as Time magazine, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Investor's Business Daily, media outlets such as NPR's Marketplace, ABC, and Marketwatch, as well as local and regional newspapers and national columnists. Plunkett received an Academic Book of the Year Award for his Plunkett's Health Care Industry Almanac, and he was a regional finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards sponsored by EY.

Introduction 1 How to Use This Book 3 Chapter 1: Major Trends Affecting the Consulting Industry 7 1) Major Trends Affecting the Consulting Industry 7 2) Introduction to the Consulting Industry 8 3) AI Has Become Consulting's Largest Growth Opportunity 9 4) GenAI Agents & Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Are Replacing Human Workers 10 5) Consulting in Emerging Nations/The Offshoring of Consulting Projects 11 6) Management Consulting and Consulting to Major Corporations 11 7) Consulting to Governments/U.S. Federal and State Consulting Contracts 13 8) Federal Government Consulting Contracts Are Massive in IT, Defense & Facilities 13 9) IT Consulting/Software Consulting/ Computer Operations Consulting 13 10) Trends in Manufacturing, such as Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), Lead to Collaboration and Consulting-Like Services 14 11) Consulting Firms Accept Assignments with Contingency Fees 15 12) Consulting Firms Acquire Digital Advertising Agencies, Extending Their Marketing Services 15 13) Accounting Firms Taking Large Market Share of Consulting Contracts 15 14) Many Industry Sectors Seek Consulting and Outsourcing Income, Competing with Pure Consultancies 17 15) Major Corporations and Organizations Develop Internal Consultants and Seek Outside Clients 17 16) Corporate Clients Want Solid Returns on IT Investments 18 17) Consultancies Position Themselves to Serve Global Markets and Multinational Corporations 18 18) Offshoring to India Drives Changes in Global Consulting 19 19) BPO and KPO: White-Collar and Professional Tasks such as Law and Accounting Are Offshored/Call Centers Become More Sophisticated 20 20) New MBAs Desire Consulting and Accounting Jobs 22 Chapter 2: Consulting Industry Statistics 25 Consulting Industry Statistics and Market Size Overview 26 Consulting Industry Employment, U.S.: 2020-April 2026 27 Chapter 3: Important Consulting Industry Contacts 29 (Addresses, Phone Numbers and Internet Sites) Chapter 4: THE CONSULTING 250: Who They Are and How They Were Chosen 59 Index of Companies Within Industry Groups 60 Alphabetical Index 67 Index of Headquarters Location by U.S. State 69 Index of Non-U.S. Headquarters Location by Country 71 Individual Data Profiles on Each of THE CONSULTING 250 73 Additional Indexes Index of Hot Spots for Advancement for Women/Minorities 312 Index by Subsidiaries, Brand Names and Selected Affiliations 314 A Short Consulting Industry Glossary 321