How many full time business appraisers are there?

Jeff Hooke (Hooke Associates) recently posed a question in LinkedIn’s Business Valuation Professionals group: “Does anyone have an estimate of the number of full time business appraisers in the US? I think it's around 10,000.” Seth Webber (Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker) responded “the definition of ‘full time’ will be problematic” because many business appraisers “spend less than 50% of their professional time doing appraisal work, instead focusing on accounting, taxes, working as a business broker, etc.”  Rod Burkert (Burkert Valuation Advisors) provided updated association members as a starting point:

• Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors – 700 members / 390 CM&AAs
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants – 2,900 ABVs
• American Society of Appraisers – 2,100 members in the BV section
• Canadian Institute of Certified Business Valuators – 1,300 CBVers
• Institute of Business Appraisers – 2,000 CBAs
• National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts – 7,000 members / 5,000 credential holders (AVA, CVA, CFFA, CMAP)

David Foster, who compiles BVR’s 2011 Firm Economics and Best Practices Survey (due out this month) says he thinks there are about 6500 fulltime appraisers in North America.  “Many members of the leading associations do ten or fewer engagements a year and earn less than $60,000 a year from these projects, making them less than fulltime,” he comments.  “And about 20% of respondents this year have memberships in more than one valuation association.”

Do you have any insight into the number of full time business appraisers.  Email us with your thoughts, or join the LinkedIn group discussion!