CEDIA Survey Charts Installer $ Trends

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 8/30/2010

INDIANAPOLIS — The average net profit margin of electronic systems contractors who are CEDIA members dropped to 3.5 percent in 2009 from 2007’s 6.8 percent despite gross margins that rose as a percent of sales from 32.2 percent to 34.5 percent, CEDIA found in its latest member survey.

In 2009, surveyed contractors’ average revenues hit $1,107,000, up slightly from 2007’s $1,093,000.

CEDIA also found that the average project size declined only slightly from 2007 levels to $32,000 and that overall employment fell by less than 5 percent, although average staffing levels for field technicians declined by 24 percent.

Contractors’ two largest gross-income generators continued to be distributed-A/V systems and home theater/media room installations, the latest survey also found.