The total U.S. William Blair/PCO Bookkeepers & M&A Specialists Pest Index increased 7 percent year-over-year in August 2024, decelerating from a strong 14 percent result in July. The August results are below the long-term average index growth rate of 10 percent.
“The deceleration in August was driven primarily by the indices with consumer-based exposure, namely the residential index and the termite index,” says William Blair Equity Researcher Tim Mulrooney. “The commercial index continues to show strong performance year-to-date.
The month of August had one less working day in 2024 relative to last year, he notes. Excluding this headwind, Mulrooney estimates August results would have been in line with the long-term historical average.
Dan Gordon, managing member of PCO Bookkeepers & M&A Specialists, adds, “It’s been an interesting year. It appears the consumer is getting defensive on discretionary items, but the need for essential services is still intact. I think when the year shakes out after December, we’ll look back on 2024 as year of average growth.”
The month’s results by segment include:
- The Residential Pest Index increased 5 percent year-over-year.
- The Commercial Pest Index increased 13 percent year-over-year.
- The Termite Index increased 2 percent year-over year.
- The Bed Bug Index increased 4 percent year-over-year.
- The Mosquito Index increased 10 percent year-over-year.
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The William Blair/PCO Bookkeepers & M&A Specialists Pest Index tracks the monthly performance of 140 privately held pest control companies across 38 states with combined annual 2023 revenue of $486 million. The purpose of the report is to track the monthly performance of several different U.S. pest markets. It does not include residential door-to-door companies. Learn more.
