Colorado vs New York: contractor markets, side by side
Colorado has 7,631 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; New York has 28,981 — about 4× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Colorado | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 7,631 | 28,981 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 13.2 | 14.5 |
| Residents | 5,771,158 | 19,994,326 |
| Households | 2,500,219 | 8,494,175 |
| Median household income | $92,748 | $89,542 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,754 | 38,667 |
| Top city by licenses | Denver | Brooklyn |
New York is the denser market: 14.5 active licenses per 10k residents against 13.2 in Colorado. 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 $89,542 in New York — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Colorado | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,637 | 3,510 |
| Plumbers | 2,994 | 1,148 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 103 |
| General Contractors | — | 23,751 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 469 |
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.