Arizona vs California: contractor markets, side by side
Arizona has 43,960 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; California has 223,427: about 5× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Arizona | California | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 43,960 | 223,427 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 61.3 | 54.8 |
| Residents | 7,173,962 | 40,805,409 |
| Households | 3,098,364 | 14,984,242 |
| Median household income | $76,830 | $97,970 |
| Building permits (2025) | 51,532 | 103,856 |
| Top city by licenses | Phoenix | Los Angeles |
Arizona is the denser market: 61.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 54.8 in California. Density cuts both ways: more contractors to sell to per square mile, and more competition per job for the contractors themselves.
Household income runs higher in California: $97,970 median against $76,830 in Arizona, which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Arizona | California |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 5,431 | 29,781 |
| Plumbers | 3,541 | 18,634 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,402 | 12,571 |
| General Contractors | 16,330 | 121,774 |
| Roofing Contractors | 1,524 | 5,940 |
| Solar Contractors | — | 1,235 |
| Landscape Contractors | 2,142 | 12,976 |
| Pool Contractors | 773 | 3,041 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 375 | 2,332 |
| Carpenters | 2,396 | 1,116 |
| Concrete Contractors | 1,110 | 5,851 |
| Masons | 420 | 2,201 |
| Drywall Contractors | 901 | 3,432 |
| Tile Contractors | 850 | 6,630 |
| Excavating Contractors | 1,125 | 2,587 |
| Painters | 2,188 | 16,728 |
| Flooring Contractors | 1,279 | 7,312 |
Counts are active licenses only, from each state's license board. A “—” means that board doesn't issue a statewide license for the trade, not that the trade doesn't exist there.
Working one of these markets?
Arizona vs California: common questions
Does Arizona or California have more licensed contractors?
California has more: 223,427 active licensed contractors against 43,960 in Arizona, about 5× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB).
Which has the denser contractor market, Arizona or California?
Arizona is denser: 61.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 54.8 in California.
Where does household income run higher, Arizona or California?
California: $97,970 median household income against $76,830 in Arizona, per U.S. Census aggregates.
Where does this Arizona vs California comparison data come from?
License counts come straight from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB); population, household, income, and permit figures are U.S. Census aggregates. Only active licenses are counted.