California vs Virginia: contractor markets, side by side
California has 222,093 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Virginia has 42,424 — about 5× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) and the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| California | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 222,093 | 42,424 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 54.4 | 35.5 |
| Residents | 40,805,409 | 11,942,085 |
| Households | 14,984,242 | 4,997,364 |
| Median household income | $97,970 | $102,122 |
| Building permits (2025) | 103,856 | 32,274 |
| Top city by licenses | Los Angeles | Virginia Beach |
California is the denser market: 54.4 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 $97,970 in California — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | California | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 29,015 | 3,849 |
| Plumbers | 18,070 | 1,388 |
| HVAC Contractors | 12,176 | 2,373 |
| General Contractors | 118,454 | 29,762 |
| Roofing Contractors | 5,678 | 1,316 |
| Solar Contractors | 1,217 | — |
| Landscape Contractors | 12,644 | 2,141 |
| Pool Contractors | 2,967 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 2,275 | 408 |
| Carpenters | 1,086 | 53 |
| Concrete Contractors | 5,674 | 1,262 |
| Masons | 2,149 | 1,015 |
| Drywall Contractors | 3,342 | 139 |
| Tile Contractors | 6,487 | — |
| Excavating Contractors | 2,516 | 3,096 |
| Painters | 16,279 | 2,104 |
| Flooring Contractors | 7,147 | 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.