Collections Information

Third–party debt collectors returned $39.3 billion to the U.S. economy in 2005. (Source: "Value of Third–Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy: Survey and Analysis," PricewaterhouseCoopers, June 2006.)

The collection industry saved the average American household $351 in 2005. This amount represents dollars households would have spent if businesses were forced to raise prices to cover bad debt. The annual savings is the average household equivalent of 19 bags of groceries, 155 gallons of gas, or more than four months of electric bills. (Source: "Value of Third–Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy: Survey and Analysis," PricewaterhouseCoopers, June 2006.)

The $39 billion returned to creditors in 2005 represented a 22 percent reduction in private sector bad debt for the year. (Source: "Value of Third–Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy: Survey and Analysis," PricewaterhouseCoopers, June 2006.)
There are approximately 6,500 collection agencies operating the United States. (Source: MarketData Enterprises, U.S. Collection Agencies: An Industry Analysis, February 2006.)

Counting third–party collectors and creditor in–house collection staff together, the accounts receivable management industry employs 456,000 collectors and is expected to add 18 to 26 percent to staffing roles between 2004 and 2014. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006–2007 edition, viewed March 10, 2006.)
U.S. collection agencies earned $12.1 billion in 2005. (Source: "Value of Third–Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy: Survey and Analysis," PricewaterhouseCoopers, June 2006.)

Including business purchases of third–party collection agencies and personal spending by their owners and employees, the industry directly and indirectly supported 426,700 American jobs with a payroll of $15 billion in 2005. (Source: "Value of Third–Party Debt Collection to the U.S. Economy: Survey and Analysis," PricewaterhouseCoopers, June 2006.)

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the primary federal law regulating third–party collection agencies, was enacted in 1977 with the support of ACA to protect consumers from unfair and abusive collection practices. (Source: A Guide to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.)

Female collectors outnumber males nearly two–to–one. (Source: 2005 Benchmarking & Agency Operations Survey, ACA International, January 2006.)

Annual compensation (including base salary and commissions) for an entry–level collector averages $28,952. (Source: Salary.com. Viewed March 15, 2006.)