What Westat does

Westat is a U.S.-based, employee-owned professional research corporation founded in 1963 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, providing statistical survey research, custom research, program evaluation, and technical assistance to U.S. federal agencies and select commercial clients. Its core work spans health services research, clinical research, education, social policy, transportation, public health, food and nutrition, and labor — anchored by long-tenured contracts such as the AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC, in continuous operation since 1996 and re-awarded in October 2024) and the U.S. Department of Education's IDEA Data Center (since 2013). Westat fields one of the largest in-house multimode survey infrastructures in the federal research market, combining CAPI, CATI, CAVI, web, and paper self-administered questionnaires with proprietary statistical imputation (4,000 class variables for MEPS), NLP-based classification of open-ended responses, AI-driven falsification detection in recorded interviews, and synthetic data generation methods (MACH, SDCPert, DataSwap, sdcnway).

The company's technology backbone is WesLytics™, a trademarked enterprise data intelligence platform that integrates the Databricks AI and cloud management platform with Westat's statistical and methodological expertise for managing, engineering, and analyzing data at population scale, including synthetic data work over 30+ billion rows of real-world patient records. Operations are governed by enterprise-wide Data Governance and AI Governance frameworks aligned with NIST, FCSM, and NAIRR standards, plus an Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Protections and Common Rule-compliant research practices. Complementary capabilities include biostatistics and epidemiology, biomedical informatics and data coordination (e.g., REDS-IV-P), biostatistics support for clinical trials, and policy evaluation for CMS Innovation Center models such as EOM and AHEAD.

Westat's business model is contract-driven and proposal-based, with revenue primarily derived from multi-year U.S. federal prime contracts and subcontracts (e.g., teaming with the Lewin Group for CMS work); pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set through federal procurement vehicles rather than list prices. Customer segments are led by HHS operating divisions (CMS, AHRQ, NIH, NCI, CDC), the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, USDA, and state agencies such as Nebraska DHHS, with a smaller commercial clinical research line. Distribution combines direct federal enterprise sales, subcontractor and teaming partnerships, and a self-serve research-participant portal; demand generation is reinforced by active participation in industry conferences (AAPOR, ASA, AERA, APPAM, FedCASIC, WSS, SAE) and a content marketing program (Insights, podcasts, webinars, newsletters).

Name

Westat

Legal name

Westat, Inc.

Website

https://westat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Westat is a U.S. employee-owned professional research firm founded in 1963 that provides statistical survey design, data collection, program evaluation, and clinical research services primarily to U.S. federal agencies, anchored by long-tenured contracts such as AHRQ's MEPS-HC and ED's IDEA Data Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Survey Research and Program Evaluation Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Business Intelligence, Reporting & Visualization Services (BPAEAHAD), Competitive Intelligence & Benchmarking (BPAHALAB)

Keywords

• Survey research services
• Statistical consulting
• Program evaluation
• Clinical research services
• Data collection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal government professional services contracts: Long-term contract research services for U.S. federal agencies such as AHRQ (MEPS-HC since 1996), CMS, NIH, ED, USDA, U.S. Census Bureau, and HHS. Revenue is contract-based and recurring (e.g., MEPS-HC re-awarded to Westat in October 2024 with each panel of ~10,000 households fielded annually).
2. WesLytics data platform and analytics services: WesLytics brings together Databricks' AI and cloud management platform with Westat's methodological expertise to offer data management, engineering, and analytics to clients and partners. Sold alongside Westat's broader professional services.
3. Clinical research and trial support services: Westat's Clinical Research group offers both comprehensive and stand-alone clinical services for federal and commercial clients, integrating transformative technology with interdisciplinary expertise.
4. Survey design, data collection, and field services: Decades-long survey design, multimode data collection, and field management services for large-scale federal surveys (e.g., MEPS-HC ~1 million in-person interviews since 1996, PATH Study, IDEA Data Center).
5. Technical assistance and program evaluation: Westat provides technical assistance (TA) and program evaluation to federal agencies such as the IDEA Data Center (IDC) for ED, Promise Neighborhoods / Full-Service Community Schools, and the National Comprehensive Center (NCC), typically via multi-year contract awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Westat is a professional research firm that designs, fields, and analyzes large-scale surveys and program evaluations for U.S. federal agencies, with a core focus on health, education, and social policy. Its offerings span multimode data collection (CAPI/CATI/CAVI/SAQ), biostatistics and epidemiology, clinical research support, technical assistance, AI and data governance, and privacy-preserving synthetic data generation. The firm's WesLytics platform, built on Databricks, and proprietary statistical tools (MACH, SDCPert, DataSwap, sdcnway) underpin its survey research and analytic services.

Product overview

Westat offers a portfolio of professional research and data services organized around a core enterprise platform, WesLytics™, which integrates Databricks' AI and cloud management with Westat's statistical and methodological expertise to manage, engineer, and analyze data across survey, clinical, transportation, and policy domains. Built on this platform are flagship service offerings including the MEPS-HC household survey for AHRQ, the IDEA Data Center technical assistance program for ED, and the CTPP Data Synthesis Program for the U.S. Census Bureau; together with project-level engagements such as the EOM and AHEAD Model evaluations, REDS-IV-P data coordination, and special education/state technical assistance work. Distinct software tools — SDCPert, DataSwap, and the sdcnway R package — are delivered as part of Westat's privacy and confidentiality toolkit for synthetic data generation and disclosure avoidance. Westat Insight operates as an acquired subsidiary rebranded to extend Westat's health, education, and social policy expertise. Across all of these, Westat applies enterprise-wide Data Governance and AI Governance frameworks to ensure quality, transparency, and trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WesLytics™: A Westat-branded data analytics platform that integrates the Databricks AI and cloud management platform with Westat's subject matter, technical, and methodological expertise to manage, engineer, and analyze data across types, volumes, and origins.

Products and services

• WesLytics Westat's enterprise data intelligence platform integrating the Databricks AI and cloud management platform with Westat's subject matter, technical, and methodological expertise to manage, engineer, and analyze data of any type, volume, or origin. Supports clinical trials, synthetic data, privacy controls, and AI governance for federal and commercial clients.
• MEPS-HC (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component) Large-scale ongoing household survey conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), fielding annual panels of approximately 10,000 households with five interviews over 2.5 years using multimode methods. Produces 3 major data files per year plus topic-specific files on health care use, costs, insurance, and conditions.
• IDEA Data Center (IDC) Westat-operated technical assistance center for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, providing intensive, targeted, and universal TA to states on IDEA data quality. Includes interactive institutes, summits, podcasts (A Date with Data), edit check tools, and the Nonresponse Bias Analysis Application.
• CTPP Data Synthesis Program Westat's program for the U.S. Census Bureau generating synthetic American Community Survey (ACS) microdata tailored for transportation planning using the Model-Assisted Constrained Hot Deck (MACH) methodology, disclosure avoidance methods, statistical models, complex workflows, and the SDCPert software.
• Westat Insight Wholly owned subsidiary of Westat formed via acquisition and rebrand of Insight Policy Research, extending Westat's services and expertise in health, education, and social policy research and evaluation.
• Clinical Research Services Comprehensive and stand-alone clinical research services for federal and commercial clients, integrating transformative technology with interdisciplinary expertise to deliver modern clinical trial design, adaptive trials, biostatistics, epidemiology, and real-world evidence generation.
• SDCPert Software Westat-developed proprietary software that automates critical components of the Model-Assisted Constrained Hot Deck (MACH) process for generating synthetic ACS microdata, enhancing reproducibility and performance for transportation planning data products.
• DataSwap Software Publicly available (on GitHub at Westat-Stats/DataSwap) statistical disclosure limitation software macro that performs controlled random swapping to mitigate disclosure risks in tabular data releases.
• sdcnway R Package Westat-developed R package publicly available on CRAN that estimates re-identification disclosure risks using log-linear modeling and exhaustive tabulation when population files are not available for probabilistic record linkage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Westat produced 4,000 imputation class variables to reduce bias in MEPS expenditure estimates.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability12 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic acquisition / subsidiary, flagship / core technology partnership, core federal teaming partner, operational vendor (employment applications), core research collaboration for clinical / public health studies and operational infrastructure partner.

• Insight Policy Research (now Westat Insight)strategic acquisition / subsidiaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2022Westat announced an agreement to acquire Insight Policy Research, which operates as a subsidiary and has rebranded as Westat Insight. The acquisition enhances Westat's services and expertise in health, education, and social policy.
• Databricksflagship / core technology partnershipTechnology or IntegrationWesLytics brings together the industry-leading Databricks AI and cloud management platform with Westat's subject matter, technical, and methodological expertise to manage, engineer, and analyze data. The platform is described as the foundation of Westat's data management, processing, engineering, analytics, and dissemination capabilities.
• The Lewin Groupcore federal teaming partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWestat supports the Lewin Group in conducting an independent, mixed-methods evaluation of the CMS Innovation Center's Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM), providing oncology care expertise, technical expert panel management, primary data collection, site visits, and analysis of Medicare claims, SEER-Medicare, and state-level cancer registry data.
• IBM / Kenexa (Talent Acquisition Vendor)operational vendor (employment applications)Technology or IntegrationWestat's Careers section uses systems from one of its vendors (IBM/Kenexa) for the employment application process. Information supplied by candidates is collected and accessed by the vendor and Westat during recruitment.
• CDC VISION Network (multi-site collaborators)core research collaboration for clinical / public health studiesStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestat collaborates with 6 healthcare systems in the CDC VISION Network, which gathers medical, laboratory, and vaccination records to inform public health strategies (e.g., nirsevimab RSV effectiveness study). The network covers roughly half a million hospitalizations and ED visits during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)operational infrastructure partnerTechnology or IntegrationWestat uses cloud-based platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and real-time data analytics to process large amounts of information efficiently in clinical / blood-transfusion research.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RTI International: Non-profit research institute that conducts large-scale federal survey research, statistical analysis, and program evaluation for HHS, ED, and other U.S. agencies — directly comparable to Westat in methodology, federal customer mix, and service lines.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization affiliated with the University of Chicago that runs major federal household surveys (e.g., NHIS, NSCH) and program evaluations — directly comparable on multimode survey design, federal contract portfolio, and academic credibility.
• Mathematica: Non-profit policy research firm focused on federal program evaluation, large-scale impact studies using RCTs, and technical assistance for HHS, ED, and USDA — directly comparable on evaluation, education, and social policy work.
• Abt Associates: Global research and consulting firm with deep federal health, education, and survey research practices; PE-owned (EQT) and directly competes on HHS, ED, and Census procurements.
• ICF International: Public research and digital services firm with a sizable federal health and survey research practice serving HHS, ED, and EPA — directly comparable in federal contract structure and survey/analytics delivery model.
• The Lewin Group: Health policy and research consulting firm within the QuintilesIMS/Optum ecosystem that partners with Westat on CMS evaluations (e.g., EOM); directly comparable on federal health program evaluation work.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established non-profit research institution with broad federal policy and health research portfolio — broader in scope than Westat and a frequent competitor on large HHS, DoD, and education procurements.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Large federal consulting and technology integrator serving HHS, DoD, and civilian agencies; overlaps with Westat on data science, AI, and program evaluation but is much broader in scope and scale.
• Battelle Memorial Institute: Large non-profit applied science and research organization that runs federal labs and major health/biomedical research programs; competes with Westat on biomedical informatics and clinical data coordination.

Others

• IBM Consulting (Federal): Major federal IT and data services contractor (and Westat's ATS vendor via IBM/Kenexa) that competes for large federal data and AI modernization work adjacent to Westat's WesLytics™ offerings, though not a direct survey research peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/westat
• GitHubgithub.com/Westat-Stats/DataSwap
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCs_SVwS0C3u61YfElsR-XRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/westat.hq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westat
• Instagraminstagram.com/westatofficial

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westat