Colorado vs Ohio: contractor markets, side by side
Colorado has 7,631 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Ohio has 12,409 — about 1.6× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Colorado | Ohio | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 7,631 | 12,409 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 13.2 | 10.5 |
| Residents | 5,771,158 | 11,774,683 |
| Households | 2,500,219 | 5,251,186 |
| Median household income | $92,748 | $71,229 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,754 | 33,640 |
| Top city by licenses | Denver | Cincinnati |
Colorado is the denser market: 13.2 active licenses per 10k residents against 10.5 in Ohio. 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 $71,229 in Ohio — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Colorado | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,637 | 4,449 |
| Plumbers | 2,994 | 3,061 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 4,899 |
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.