Colorado vs Illinois: contractor markets, side by side
Colorado has 7,631 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Illinois has 14,951 — about 2× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Colorado | Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 7,631 | 14,951 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 13.2 | 11.7 |
| Residents | 5,771,158 | 12,757,583 |
| Households | 2,500,219 | 5,427,336 |
| Median household income | $92,748 | $84,033 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,754 | 18,551 |
| Top city by licenses | Denver | Chicago |
Colorado is the denser market: 13.2 active licenses per 10k residents against 11.7 in Illinois. 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 Colorado — $92,748 median against $84,033 in Illinois — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Colorado | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,637 | 2,567 |
| Plumbers | 2,994 | 943 |
| General Contractors | — | 6,074 |
| Roofing Contractors | — | 4,404 |
| Masons | — | 963 |
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.