The Basics
We begin with nine standard questions to start our look from high above, asking about our respondents’ location, office/shop size, 2021 total sales and more.
1. In what state/province is your company (or headquarters) located?
| Alabama (1) | Arizona (3) | Alaska (0) | Arkansas (4) |
| California (23) | Colorado (9) | Connecticut (4) | Delaware (2) |
| District of Columbia (0) | Florida (10) | Georgia (4) | Hawaii (1) |
| Idaho (2) | Illinois (7) | Indiana (2) | Iowa (4) |
| Kansas (2) | Kentucky (1) | Louisiana (1) | Maine (1) |
| Maryland (2) | Massachusetts (9) | Michigan (2) | Minnesota (2) |
| Mississippi (1) | Missouri (5) | Montana (2) | Nebraska (3) |
| Nevada (0) | New Hampshire (2) | New Jersey (10) | New Mexico (2) |
| New York ( 17) | North Carolina (11) | North Dakota (1) | Ohio (8) |
| Oklahoma (5) | Oregon (4) | Pennsylvania (8) | Puerto Rico (1) |
| Rhode Island (0) | South Carolina (3) | South Dakota (2) | Tennessee (2) |
| Texas (12)) | Utah (0) | Vermont (3) | Virginia (3) |
| Washington (5) | West Virginia (1) | Wisconsin (6) | Wyoming (1) |
| Canada (10) |
STATES OF AFFAIRS. California, the largest state, led with 23 followed by New York (17) and Texas (12). Respondents hailed from 46 states in the US, Puerto Rico and four provinces in Canada.
2. Where is your company located by setting?
GOTTA START SOMEWHERE. Among the responses for “other,” warehouse and garage settings were mentioned.
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3. What is the total square footage of your office and shop combined?
| Less than 500 sq. ft. |
|
5%
|
| 500-999 sq. ft. |
|
5%
|
| 1,000-1,499 sq. ft. |
|
6%
|
| 1,500-1,999 sq. ft. |
|
8%
|
| 2,000-2,499 sq. ft. |
|
6%
|
| 62,500-2,999 sq. ft. |
|
11%
|
| 3,000-3,499 sq. ft. |
|
7%
|
| 3,500-3,999 sq. ft. |
|
2%
|
| 4,000-5,000 sq. ft. |
|
11%
|
| More than 5,000 sq. ft. |
|
39%
|
4. How would you describe the market where your company is located?
| Big urban market |
|
17%
|
| Suburban outskirts of a big urban market |
|
23%
|
| Medium-sized city (250,000-1 million people) |
|
23%
|
| Small city (25,000 to 250,000) |
|
23%
|
| Country town (up to 25,000) |
|
8%
|
| Resort area |
|
3%
|
| Other (rural, national) |
|
3%
|
MARKET OUTLOOK. Medium-sized cities comprise the largest portion of the market in the Southwest (40%), while 33% of sign companies in the West work in big urban markets.
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5. What’s your view of your position in your local market?
6. Which description of your business do you most closely identify with?
| Full-service sign company (including electric and installation) |
|
45%
|
| Specialized sign company (non-electric or non-installation) |
|
20%
|
| Franchise sign company (full service) |
|
7%
|
| Franchise sign company (specialized) |
|
1%
|
| Independent vinyl or vehicle wrap shop |
|
10%
|
| Sign designer, design firm or design agency |
|
3%
|
| Wholesaler (sell to sign companies only) |
|
3%
|
| Sign installation and maintenance company |
|
2%
|
| Other (commercial printers, large format, no installations) |
|
9%
|
MILLIONAIRES CLUB. A plurality of full-service sign companies (38%) report total sales in 2021 of $1M to $5M with a further 14% above $5M.
7. What were your total sales (US dollars) in 2021?
| Under $100,000 |
|
10%
|
| $100,000-$249,999 |
|
14%
|
| $250,000-$999,999 |
|
37%
|
| $1,000,000-$5,000,000 |
|
28%
|
| Over $5,000,000 |
|
11%
|
SMALL PACKAGES. Most of the companies under $100K are located in the Northeast (30%), 87% have a total square footage of office and shop under 1,500 sq. ft., and 74% are working out of home offices.
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8. Check products/services offered by your company:
| Digital Imaging |
|
54%
|
| LED signs |
|
58%
|
| Electronic flat panel display |
|
26%
|
| Electronic message centers (EMCs) |
|
42%
|
| Architectural signage |
|
71%
|
| Channel letters |
|
64%
|
| Neon signs |
|
30%
|
| Non-electric changeable copy signs |
|
52%
|
| Screen printing |
|
26%
|
| Sandblasting |
|
30%
|
| Foamboard signage |
|
64%
|
| Billboard graphics |
|
25%
|
| Banners |
|
91%
|
| Vehicle graphics |
|
81%
|
| Floor graphics |
|
76%
|
| Window graphics |
|
89%
|
| Other |
|
22%
|
ALPHABET SOUP. At 22%, selected responses from “other,” listed alphabetically: ADA (and braille), apparel, bags (and tags), business cards, carved, CNC (routed, laser), dimensional (3D), embroidery, engraved (laser), fabric, flags (and poles), gold leaf, handpainted, HDU, installation (and maintenance), labels, menus, murals, outdoor political, parking lot (and industrial) lighting, posters, rigid substrates, storefronts, sublimation and wayfinding.
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