Industries › NAICS 541720
Industry · NAICS 541720 · sector 54 Professional, scientific and technical services
Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities
Federal contract obligations classified under NAICS 541720, the organisations that win them and the agencies that award them.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $773M in contracts classified under NAICS 541720, Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities, in FY2026, and $3.9B over the five fiscal years since FY2023; the industry ranks 85 of 526 on this site.
Obligations were about level on FY2025 ($732M), with $0 so far in FY2027.
The largest recipient organisations over FY2022–FY2025 were Lockheed Martin Corp ($575M), The Rand Corporation ($456M) and Mathematica Inc. ($354M).
By place of performance, the most money went to MD, DC and CA.
Contract obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest industry FY2026
| Measure | This industry | Aircraft Manufacturing | All contracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract obligations, FY2026 | $773M | $45B | $716B |
| Five-year total | $3.9B | $211B | $3.0T |
| Share of all contract obligations, five years | 0.1% | 7.1% | 100% |
Top contractors obligations, FY2022–FY2025
| # | Organisation | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lockheed Martin Corp | $575M |
| 2 | The Rand Corporation | $456M |
| 3 | Mathematica Inc. | $354M |
| 4 | Westat, Inc. | $331M |
| 5 | National Opinion Research Center | $260M |
| 6 | Research Triangle Institute | $256M |
| 7 | American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences | $209M |
| 8 | Educational Testing Service | $184M |
| 9 | The Lewin Group, Inc. | $129M |
| 10 | Fors Marsh Group LLC | $126M |
| 11 | The MITRE Corporation | $125M |
| 12 | Deloitte Consulting LLP | $113M |
| 13 | Mathematica Inc. | $97M |
| 14 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $85M |
| 15 | University of Maryland, College Park | $76M |
| 16 | Fundacion Inciensa | $43M |
| 17 | Abt Global LLC | $41M |
| 18 | Reli Group Inc | $41M |
| 19 | Acumen LLC | $40M |
| 20 | NCS Pearson Inc | $34M |
| 21 | New South Associates, Inc. | $33M |
| 22 | General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. | $31M |
| 23 | National Academy of Sciences | $25M |
| 24 | Abt Global LLC | $25M |
| 25 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc | $23M |
Buying agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the work is performed
Largest awards since FY2023
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematica Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services | ContractDelivery Order | $106M | 8 Dec 2022 | MD | USAspending |
| Westat, Inc. | Department of Education | ContractDefinitive Contract | $83M | 6 Dec 2024 | DC | USAspending |
| The Rand Corporation | Department of Homeland SecurityFederal Emergency Management Agency | ContractDelivery Order | $56M | 3 Apr 2023 | DC | USAspending |
| Mathematica Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services | ContractDelivery Order | $48M | 16 Aug 2023 | MD | USAspending |
| Educational Testing Service | Department of Education | ContractDefinitive Contract | $46M | 20 Dec 2024 | DC | USAspending |
| Mathematica Inc. | Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services | ContractDelivery Order | $38M | 11 Sep 2024 | NJ | USAspending |
| The Rand Corporation | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $36M | 14 Oct 2022 | DC | USAspending |
| The Rand Corporation | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $33M | 26 Sep 2025 | CA | USAspending |
| Educational Testing Service | Department of Education | ContractDefinitive Contract | $33M | 31 Oct 2024 | DC | USAspending |
| The Rand Corporation | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Air Force | ContractDelivery Order | $32M | 24 Sep 2024 | DC | USAspending |
Other industries in sector 54: Professional, scientific and technical services
- 541330 Engineering Services $197B
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) $181B
- 541512 Computer Systems Design Services $127B
- 541519 Other Computer Related Services $99B
- 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $52B
- 541611 Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services $50B
- 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services $43B
- 541712 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology) $37B
- 541710 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $37B
- 541513 Computer Facilities Management Services $13B
- 541714 Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) $13B
- 541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services $12B
- 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services $8.6B
- 541810 Advertising Agencies $6.1B
- 541620 Environmental Consulting Services $5.2B
- 541211 Offices of Certified Public Accountants $4.8B
- 541711 Research and Development in Biotechnology $4.6B
- 541310 Architectural Services $4.1B
- 541612 Human Resources Consulting Services $3.4B
- 541618 Other Management Consulting Services $3.2B
- 541219 Other Accounting Services $3.1B
- 541380 Testing Laboratories and Services $2.4B
- 541199 All Other Legal Services $2.3B
- 541930 Translation and Interpretation Services $1.6B
Questions and answers
How much does the federal government spend on NAICS 541720?
$773M in contract obligations classified under Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities in FY2026, $3.9B over the five fiscal years since FY2023. Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who are the top contractors in Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities?
Lockheed Martin Corp ($575M), The Rand Corporation ($456M), Mathematica Inc. ($354M), Westat, Inc. ($331M), National Opinion Research Center ($260M), by contract obligations over FY2022–FY2025.
Which agencies buy in this industry?
By the value of $1.0M-plus contracts since FY2023: Department of Health and Human Services ($787M), Department of Education ($386M), Department of Defense ($347M), Department of Homeland Security ($125M), Department of Commerce ($104M).
What is a NAICS code?
In USAspending's words: "NAICS stands for the North American Industrial Classification System. This 6-digit code tells you what industry the work falls into. Each contract record has a NAICS code." Assistance awards (grants, loans, direct payments) carry no NAICS code and are not counted here.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (NAICS) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 NAICS list, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.