Arizona vs Washington: contractor markets, side by side
Arizona has 43,106 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Washington has 70,774 — about 1.6× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) and the Washington Labor & Industries (L&I); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Arizona | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 43,106 | 70,774 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 60.1 | 84.0 |
| Residents | 7,173,962 | 8,422,710 |
| Households | 3,098,364 | 3,540,228 |
| Median household income | $76,830 | $95,237 |
| Building permits (2025) | 51,532 | 34,913 |
| Top city by licenses | Phoenix | Seattle |
Washington is the denser market: 84.0 active licenses per 10k residents against 60.1 in Arizona. 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 Washington — $95,237 median against $76,830 in Arizona — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Arizona | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 5,220 | — |
| Plumbers | 3,414 | 539 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,254 | 821 |
| General Contractors | 15,689 | 57,282 |
| Roofing Contractors | 1,467 | 639 |
| Landscape Contractors | 2,064 | 1,739 |
| Pool Contractors | 742 | 71 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 360 | 117 |
| Carpenters | 2,300 | 1,371 |
| Concrete Contractors | 1,061 | 870 |
| Masons | 408 | 364 |
| Drywall Contractors | 862 | 437 |
| Tile Contractors | 830 | 1,209 |
| Excavating Contractors | 1,079 | 409 |
| Painters | 2,117 | 2,702 |
| Flooring Contractors | 1,239 | 2,256 |
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.