California vs Washington: contractor markets, side by side
California has 222,093 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Washington has 70,774 — about 3× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) and the Washington Labor & Industries (L&I); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| California | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 222,093 | 70,774 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 54.4 | 84.0 |
| Residents | 40,805,409 | 8,422,710 |
| Households | 14,984,242 | 3,540,228 |
| Median household income | $97,970 | $95,237 |
| Building permits (2025) | 103,856 | 34,913 |
| Top city by licenses | Los Angeles | Seattle |
Washington is the denser market: 84.0 active licenses per 10k residents against 54.4 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 $95,237 in Washington — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | California | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 29,015 | — |
| Plumbers | 18,070 | 539 |
| HVAC Contractors | 12,176 | 821 |
| General Contractors | 118,454 | 57,282 |
| Roofing Contractors | 5,678 | 639 |
| Solar Contractors | 1,217 | — |
| Landscape Contractors | 12,644 | 1,739 |
| Pool Contractors | 2,967 | 71 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 2,275 | 117 |
| Carpenters | 1,086 | 1,371 |
| Concrete Contractors | 5,674 | 870 |
| Masons | 2,149 | 364 |
| Drywall Contractors | 3,342 | 437 |
| Tile Contractors | 6,487 | 1,209 |
| Excavating Contractors | 2,516 | 409 |
| Painters | 16,279 | 2,702 |
| Flooring Contractors | 7,147 | 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.