Bowman 100: Largest firms top 8% combined growth; profit increases as charge hours decline

The nation's 100 largest firms grew 8.2% in their most recent fiscal years - the lowest growth rate since 1995, but impressive nevertheless in today's feeble economy.

"I think that 8.2%, given the flat economy and its lack of growth, is pretty fantastic," says August Aquila, director of practice

Other good news: Profits were up among the non-national firms, and partners charged fewer hours for more money.

The demise of Arthur Andersen and the spin-off of PricewaterhouseCoopers' consulting practice skewed some of the aggregate statistics for the BOWMAN 100. Looking at raw numbers, average net fees for the nation's 100 largest firms was $230.3 million compared to $312.6 million last year. The combined fee volume of the BOWMAN 100 fell by 26.4%. When AA and PwC Consulting are removed from last year's numbers, the decline in combined fees is 7.3%, from $24.8 billion to $23.0 billion.