Colorado vs Oregon: contractor markets, side by side
Colorado has 7,631 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Oregon has 32,659 — about 4× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Colorado | Oregon | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 7,631 | 32,659 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 13.2 | 77.2 |
| Residents | 5,771,158 | 4,229,341 |
| Households | 2,500,219 | 1,818,529 |
| Median household income | $92,748 | $80,169 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,754 | 14,679 |
| Top city by licenses | Denver | Portland |
Oregon is the denser market: 77.2 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 $80,169 in Oregon — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Colorado | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,637 | 1,168 |
| Plumbers | 2,994 | 1,877 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 429 |
| General Contractors | — | 29,185 |
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.