BV profession is 10,000 strong, and growing, claims Accounting Today

Business valuation is “booming,” says a new article from the online Accounting Today, which reports that business valuations are the No.1 growing niche service among its 2011 Top 100 Firms. Currently, over 5,000 CPA/ABVs are supporting this growth, along with 3,000 CVAs, the article adds.

However, the overall conclusion confirms BVR’s independent research, which indicates that there are just over 1,400 ASAs (with a fairly strong list of pending candidates) and 600+ CBAs. In addition, roughly 3,000 to 4,000 CFAs currently perform some level of BV work, plus those who still perform valuations (CPAs, etc.) without BV-specific credentials. (Recall that a strong plurality of the BV profession has two or more valuation certifications).

Although financial reporting work may have jump-started the profession, says the AT article, estate and gift tax continues to drive it, along with the increasing sophistication and formalization of valuation models and methodologies.

And there's always BVR's 2011 BV Firm Economics & Best Practices Guide if you need complete statistics on the state of the business valuation profession.