Arizona vs Virginia: contractor markets, side by side
Arizona has 43,106 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Virginia has 42,424 — about the same number of licensed contractors. Counts come from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Arizona | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 43,106 | 42,424 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 60.1 | 35.5 |
| Residents | 7,173,962 | 11,942,085 |
| Households | 3,098,364 | 4,997,364 |
| Median household income | $76,830 | $102,122 |
| Building permits (2025) | 51,532 | 32,274 |
| Top city by licenses | Phoenix | Virginia Beach |
Arizona is the denser market: 60.1 active licenses per 10k residents against 35.5 in Virginia. 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 Virginia — $102,122 median against $76,830 in Arizona — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Arizona | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 5,220 | 3,849 |
| Plumbers | 3,414 | 1,388 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,254 | 2,373 |
| General Contractors | 15,689 | 29,762 |
| Roofing Contractors | 1,467 | 1,316 |
| Landscape Contractors | 2,064 | 2,141 |
| Pool Contractors | 742 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 360 | 408 |
| Carpenters | 2,300 | 53 |
| Concrete Contractors | 1,061 | 1,262 |
| Masons | 408 | 1,015 |
| Drywall Contractors | 862 | 139 |
| Tile Contractors | 830 | — |
| Excavating Contractors | 1,079 | 3,096 |
| Painters | 2,117 | 2,104 |
| Flooring Contractors | 1,239 | 154 |
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.