What 282 hand-picked advertising, branding and design agencies say about the industry: where they are, who is hiring, what they specialize in and how long they have been around.
Data as of October 1, 2026 · Hiring status checked October 1, 2026
Agency Showcase tracks 282 hand-picked agencies and 162 independent creatives across 16 US markets plus a global list. 145 agencies (51%) are hiring. By primary focus, 49% are advertising agencies and 22% are branding and identity studios.
New York has the deepest bench on the list with 77 agencies, followed by Los Angeles (39) and Austin (39). A further 56 agencies sit on the global list, operating across several countries. Because 37 agencies are listed in more than one US market, the market counts add up to more than the 282 agencies in the directory.
Across the directory, 145 of 282 agencies (51%) list at least one open role. Among markets with 10 or more listed agencies, the rate runs from 80% in Atlanta to 36% in Austin.
Most agencies do more than one thing: the average listing covers 4.0 specialties. So there are two ways to look at the mix. By primary focus, what each agency is best known for, advertising agencies make up 49% of the list and branding and identity studios 22%. By what agencies offer, the picture flattens: brand strategy is part of the offer at 69% of agencies but the primary focus of only 4%.
Primary focus, share of all 282 agencies
Specialties offered, share of agencies offering each
Founding years are on record for 134 of the 282 agencies. Among those, the median founding year is 2008, the 2000s produced more of them than any other decade (44), and 35 opened in 2015 or later. The longest-running is 22squared, founded in 1922. Treat this section with care: older and larger firms are better documented, so the known years likely skew older than the list as a whole.
Industry awards are on record for 77 of the 282 agencies. New York accounts for 39 of them, more than twice any other market. The full breakdown, grouped by award, is on the Most Awarded Agencies page. Award data is recorded by hand from public sources and is not exhaustive.
Alongside the agencies, the directory lists 162 independent creatives, the freelancers and small studios agencies and brands hire directly. Graphic designers are the largest group (63).
Every figure on this page is computed from the Agency Showcase directory as of October 1, 2026. The directory is hand-curated, so these numbers describe a selection of agencies chosen for the quality of their work, not every agency in each market. Specialties and each agency’s primary focus are assigned editorially from its own description and body of work. Hiring status comes from a regular check of each agency’s careers page. Founding years and awards are recorded from public sources where they can be verified, which is why those two sections cover fewer agencies. The page regenerates whenever the directory changes. How agencies make the list is explained on the About page.
You are welcome to quote or chart these figures. Please credit Agency Showcase and link to this page.
Agency Showcase, “The Agency Landscape 2026,” agencyshowcase.co/agency-landscape.html, data as of October 1, 2026.
Agency Showcase lists 282 hand-picked advertising, branding and design agencies and 162 independent creatives, across 16 US markets plus a global list of multi-market agencies.
New York, with 77 agencies, followed by Los Angeles (39) and Austin (39).
51% of listed agencies had at least one open role at the last careers check (October 1, 2026). See agencies hiring now.
Yes. Quote or chart them with credit to Agency Showcase and a link to this page. A CSV of the figures is available above.
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