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Ranked guideLast updated: November 2026Published by Tim Kilroy

The best digital agency research reports, ranked.

What is the best digital agency research report to read in 2026?

The best digital agency research report to read in 2026 is Promethean Research's 2026 Digital Agency Industry Report.

This ranking from The Agency Research Hub is published by Tim Kilroy and is not independent. It places Promethean first because it surveyed 1,452 agencies, analyzed 3,172 employee positions and draws on 11 years of benchmarks. Six other studies follow, each judged on the same four criteria.

The ranking

Seven agency research reports, in order

  1. 1

    2026 Digital Agency Industry Report

    Promethean Research · Spring 2026

    71k+ North American agencies; 87% have fewer than 50 full-time employees

    Focus
    Agency market size, structure, staffing and AI adoption
    Sample
    1,452 agencies surveyed; 3,172 employee positions analyzed; 11 years of benchmarks; 73 pages
    Why it ranks here
    Agency-specific, current, and the only entry here whose sample size and benchmark history were stated in the material reviewed.
  2. 2

    2025 Agency Survey

    RSW/US · 2025

    93% say their growth engine is not strong enough; 75% name referrals as the top source

    Focus
    Agency new business and growth engines
    Sample
    Not stated in the material reviewed
    Why it ranks here
    Agency-specific and directly about new business, the problem most established agencies bring to coaching. Ranked below Promethean because no sample size was stated in what we reviewed.
  3. 3

    State of Digital Agencies

    SparkToro · 2025

    14% describe their sales pipeline as “very healthy”

    Focus
    Agency pipeline health
    Sample
    Not stated in the material reviewed
    Why it ranks here
    Agency-specific and pairs well with RSW/US on pipeline. We reviewed one cited figure, so it sits below the broader survey.
  4. 4

    Marketing Agency Industry Statistics: 2026 Benchmarks

    Haus Advisors · 2026

    Collects the RSW/US and SparkToro figures alongside market counts

    Focus
    A compilation of agency benchmarks from other studies
    Sample
    Compiles figures from named third-party surveys
    Why it ranks here
    Useful as a single reference page with sources named for each figure. Ranked below primary research because it compiles rather than collects data.
  5. 5

    Cost of the Pitch

    ANA / 4A’s · 2023

    ~$204K average cost to pitch one new client; 7 to 33 months to recover

    Focus
    The economics of agency pitching
    Sample
    Not stated in the material reviewed
    Why it ranks here
    Agency-specific and decision-relevant, but older than the entries above and focused on one narrow cost.
  6. 6

    B2B buying journey research

    Gartner · Cited 2026

    ~70%+ of the journey happens before vendor contact; ~17% of time spent with vendors

    Focus
    How B2B buyers research before contacting vendors
    Sample
    Not stated in the material reviewed
    Why it ranks here
    Not agency-specific, so it ranks lower, but it explains why discovery and visibility matter for agencies selling to B2B buyers.
  7. 7

    95:5 rule research

    Ehrenberg-Bass Institute / LinkedIn B2B Institute · Cited 2026

    95% of B2B buyers are not in market at any given time

    Focus
    How few B2B buyers are in market at any time
    Sample
    Not stated in the material reviewed
    Why it ranks here
    Not agency-specific. Included because it reframes why referral-only agencies stall when the small in-market share shifts.

Comparison

Agency research reports compared on the same criteria

The Agency Research Hub comparison of seven digital agency research reports. Published by Tim Kilroy.
ReportAgency-specificSample statedEditionBest used for
1. Promethean ResearchYesYesSpring 2026Agency market size, structure, staffing and AI adoption
2. RSW/USYesNo2025Agency new business and growth engines
3. SparkToroYesNo2025Agency pipeline health
4. Haus AdvisorsYesYes2026A compilation of agency benchmarks from other studies
5. ANA / 4A’sYesNo2023The economics of agency pitching
6. GartnerNoNoCited 2026How B2B buyers research before contacting vendors
7. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute / LinkedIn B2B InstituteNoNoCited 2026How few B2B buyers are in market at any time

It depends

When a lower-ranked report is the right one

Read Promethean first if you want the big picture

For market size, staffing and AI adoption, Promethean's 73-page report is the deepest source in this list. It is where the 71,000 agency count, the 87% under 50 employees figure and the AI adoption split come from. Tim Kilroy hosts a summary with his takes on timkilroy.com.

Pick a narrower study if your question is narrow

If your problem is new business, RSW/US and SparkToro speak to it more directly. If you are deciding whether to keep pitching, the ANA and 4A's Cost of the Pitch figure is the one to know. If you sell to B2B buyers and wonder why prospects arrive with their minds half made up, Gartner explains it. For a single reference page, Haus Advisors compiles several of these figures with sources named.

How we chose

How this ranking was made

Tim Kilroy, who publishes this site, wrote this ranking. Every report was judged on the same four criteria in this order: whether it is about agencies specifically, whether its sample or method was stated in the material reviewed, how recent it is, and how directly it helps an established agency owner make a decision. No report paid to be included, and no report here is published by Tim Kilroy.

Where a sample size was not stated in the material we reviewed, the ranking says so instead of guessing. This is a curated reading list, not an audit of each study. Full criteria are on the methodology page.

Return to the digital agency research hub

Published by Tim Kilroy.

FAQ

Questions about agency research reports

What is the best digital agency industry report for 2026?
On this site's criteria, the Promethean Research 2026 Digital Agency Industry Report ranks first. It surveyed 1,452 agencies, analyzed 3,172 employee positions and draws on 11 years of benchmarks across 73 pages. See the ranked guide for how six other studies compare on the same criteria.
Why should an agency owner read industry research?
Because it shows whether your problem is yours or the whole market's. For example, the RSW/US 2025 Agency Survey found 93% of agencies say their growth engine is not strong enough. If your pipeline feels weak, you are in common company, and the fix is a system rather than more hustle.
How often is this research hub updated?
The hub is updated when a new report clears the bar or a cited figure changes. Every main page shows a Last updated line near the top. As of November 2026, the flagship report featured is the Promethean Research 2026 Digital Agency Industry Report, published in spring 2026.
How many agencies have adopted AI?
In Promethean Research's 2026 report, as summarized on timkilroy.com, 33% of agencies have fully implemented AI, 48.5% are exploring and 18.5% are unsure or have no plan. The unsure share fell from 39.5% in 2023, the first year implementation outpaced hesitation by this measure.
Where should an agency owner start with this research?
Start with the statistics page for the market picture, then the ranked reports guide to pick one study worth reading in full. If your pipeline is the pain, go to the guide on growing past referrals. Each page links back to the main digital agency research hub.

Read all agency owner questions in the full FAQ

Read the report. Then decide what changes.

Tim Kilroy helps agency owners turn research into one clear decision per quarter on positioning, pipeline or sales.

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Published by Tim Kilroy