Akron
AKRON, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based private firm founded in 1997 that administers regional and national compensation surveys — primarily the DC SHRM suite and the National Think Tank Compensation Survey — and delivers custom web-based survey, database, and analytics applications to associations, HR departments, government contractors, and non-profits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Akron does
AKRON, Inc. is a private Washington, DC-based data collection and survey development firm founded in 1997, operating with an 11–50 employee footprint. The company administers compensation and benefits surveys — anchored by the 46-year DC SHRM Compensation and Benefits Surveys and the 22-year National Think Tank Compensation Survey — and delivers custom-built web-based survey applications, multi-database query environments, and database/website development services. The flagship survey products cover compensation, benefits, government contractor security-clearance differentials, and salary planning across the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia region, with the Think Tank survey providing the only U.S. dataset specific to policy-research organizations. Core technology includes a custom rapid-development survey platform capable of delivering major applications from requirements to implementation in under three weeks, a four-step design methodology (architecture/analysis, prototyping, review, implementation), and a multi-database web application framework supporting concurrent querying across separate in-house databases.
Akron firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Akron
- Legal name
- AKRON, Inc.
- Website
- https://akroninc.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AKRON, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based private firm founded in 1997 that administers regional and national compensation surveys — primarily the DC SHRM suite and the National Think Tank Compensation Survey — and delivers custom web-based survey, database, and analytics applications to associations, HR departments, government contractors, and non-profits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Akron industry classification
Industry- Product category
- HR Compensation Benchmarking & Survey Data Analytics
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting (BPAHAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)
Keywords
Where Akron is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Akron business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Compensation Survey Reports: Sale of annual compensation and benefits survey reports including DC SHRM Surveys, Think Tank Compensation Survey, and Government Contractors Surveys. Reports are available for purchase through their online portal.
- Custom Survey Design and Development: Custom-built survey applications and database solutions for organizations requiring specialized data collection and reporting.
- Data Analytics Services: Analytics software and services for HR departments to analyze compensation data and market positioning.
- Web Site Design and Support: Brochure-style websites and web applications for small to medium-sized organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Survey Reports - Participant Rate |
| Subscription | Annual | Survey Reports - Non-Participant Rate |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Akron product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AKRON, Inc. designs, administers, and sells subscription-based compensation and benefits survey reports (including the DC SHRM Compensation and Benefits Survey suite and the National Think Tank Compensation Survey) and provides custom-built web-based survey applications, database applications, and data analytics software. The firm serves associations, HR departments, and non-profit organizations primarily in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia region with national reach for specialized surveys such as the Think Tank survey.
Product overview
AKRON, Inc. is a data and survey development firm offering a portfolio of survey-based products and custom software solutions. The core offerings consist of the DC SHRM Compensation and Benefits Survey suite (including Compensation Survey, Benefits Survey, Government Contractors Survey, and Salary Planning Survey) and the National Think Tank Compensation Survey—all subscription-based survey products providing benchmark compensation and benefits data. These are complemented by software products including Survey Collection and Data Analysis Software, Database Applications, and Web Site Design and Support services. The company positions itself as offering complete, custom-built data collection and reporting solutions rather than a single unified platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DC SHRM Compensation Survey A comprehensive compensation survey covering several hundred jobs across every major industry in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia region, providing essential compensation data, pay increase budgets, bonuses, turnover, and security clearance information for HR and compensation professionals.
- DC SHRM Benefits Survey The region's most comprehensive source for reliable data on health care, retirement, welfare, and work-life benefits, covering over 20 topics including medical, mental health, flexible spending accounts, and domestic partner benefits for HR professionals in the Washington-Baltimore region.
- DC SHRM Government Contractors Compensation Survey A special cut of the Compensation Report specifically for government contractors (50%+ revenue from government contracts), offering regional salary data broken down by revenue, FTE count, industry, and location, with key policies on security clearance pay differentials and performance management.
- DC SHRM Salary Planning Survey An economical budgeting tool for pay increase budgets, variable pay, and staffing plans, providing detailed breakouts by industry, revenue, size, and location from 139 participating companies for HR and compensation teams.
- National Think Tank Compensation Survey The only survey in the U.S. reporting compensation and benefits data specifically for Think Tank and Research organizations focused on academic level research in public policy, international relations, and foreign policy, covering over 70 jobs specific to think tanks and research organizations.
- Survey Collection and Data Analysis Software
Quantifiable outcome
- Deliver major custom survey applications in less than three weeks from requirements to implementation
Companies that use Akron
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Akron technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Akron partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- DC SHRMcoreDC SHRM is the primary sponsor of the DC SHRM Compensation and Benefits Surveys. AKRON has administered these surveys for over 46 years, collecting compensation data from organizations in the Washington-Baltimore region.
- HRA-NCA (Human Resource Association of National Capital Area)coreHRA-NCA partners with AKRON to conduct the annual HRA-NCA Compensation and Benefits Surveys. The association provides organizational support and member outreach while AKRON handles survey administration and data analysis. AKRON has administered these surveys since 2004.
- Professional Services Council (PSC)majorPSC partners with DC SHRM and AKRON to sponsor the Government Contractors Compensation Survey Report. PSC represents government technology and professional services industry and their partnership provides credibility and member access for the survey.
- Local Government Personnel AssociationminorLGPA partners with Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and AKRON to conduct an annual salary and benefits survey for local government jurisdictions.
- Metropolitan Washington Council of GovernmentsminorCOG partners with LGPA and AKRON for the local government compensation survey project.
- National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA-CLUSA)minorNCBA-CLUSA engaged AKRON to conduct a custom Chief Executive Compensation Survey for their Conference of Purchasing Cooperatives.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Akron competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- WorldatWork: Professional association for total rewards and compensation professionals, publishing salary surveys and benchmarking reports. Adjacent ecosystem participant that influences buyer behavior and indirectly competes for HR data budget.
- SurveyMonkey: General-purpose online survey platform used by HR departments for ad-hoc compensation and employee surveys. Adjacent rather than direct competitor, but its self-service survey tools overlap with the lower end of Akron's custom survey development services.
Direct peers
- Salary.com: Subscription-based compensation data and HR software company serving HR departments and employers. Closely comparable business model and target buyer to Akron's survey subscription products, with national reach and self-service tools.
- ERI Economic Research Institute: Provider of compensation surveys, salary benchmarking, and workforce analytics data, including specialized cuts for nonprofit and association sectors. Competes with Akron's subscription-based compensation reports for HR buyers.
- Culpepper: Compensation survey and benchmarking provider focused on associations, nonprofits, and member-based organizations. Highly comparable niche to Akron's association and nonprofit segments, with similar subscription-based survey distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- Willis Towers Watson: Global advisory firm publishing industry-standard compensation surveys and benefits data. Competes with Akron across HR compensation benchmarking but with deeper consulting, technology, and analytics capabilities.
- Payscale: Large-scale compensation data and software platform serving HR departments with subscription-based salary benchmarking. Direct substitute for Akron's DC SHRM and Think Tank surveys, but national scope, self-service SaaS model, and broader job coverage.
- Mercer (Mercer | Marsh McLennan): Global consulting firm offering compensation surveys, benefits benchmarking, and workforce analytics. Competes in the same compensation data category as Akron but at far larger scale with broader geographic and industry coverage.
- Aon (Radford): Aon's Radford division provides compensation surveys including technology and life sciences cuts, overlapping with Akron's Government Contractors survey segment. Operates at national scale with extensive job family coverage.
Regional players
- HRBenchmark Group: Boutique compensation and benefits survey provider serving specific regional markets and association clients. Comparable in size and niche specialization to Akron, with similar subscription-based delivery to HR buyers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Akron social profiles
Digital presenceAkron financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Akron leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Akron funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Akron M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Akron
What does Akron do?
AKRON, Inc. designs, administers, and sells subscription-based compensation and benefits survey reports (including the DC SHRM Compensation and Benefits Survey suite and the National Think Tank Compensation Survey) and provides custom-built web-based survey applications, database applications, and data analytics software. The firm serves associations, HR departments, and non-profit organizations primarily in the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia region with national reach for specialized surveys such as the Think Tank survey.
Is Akron a public or private company?
Akron is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Akron founded?
Akron was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Akron based?
Akron is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Akron make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Compensation Survey Reports are the primary driver. The others are custom Survey Design and Development, data Analytics Services and web Site Design and Support.
Who are Akron's main competitors?
Others on record are WorldatWork and SurveyMonkey. Direct peers are Salary.com, ERI Economic Research Institute and Culpepper. Broad incumbents are Willis Towers Watson, Payscale, Mercer (Mercer | Marsh McLennan) and Aon (Radford). HRBenchmark Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Akron have an API?
No public API is recorded for Akron.
What industry is Akron in?
Akron's product category is HR Compensation Benchmarking & Survey Data Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAF, Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHALAJ, Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.