Colorado vs Pennsylvania: contractor markets, side by side
Colorado has 7,671 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Pennsylvania has 9,064: about 1.2× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Colorado | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 7,671 | 9,064 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 13.3 | 6.5 |
| Residents | 5,771,158 | 13,983,292 |
| Households | 2,500,219 | 6,205,690 |
| Median household income | $92,748 | $78,687 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,754 | 25,709 |
| Top city by licenses | Denver | — |
Colorado is the denser market: 13.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 6.5 in Pennsylvania. 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 $78,687 in Pennsylvania, which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Colorado | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,677 | 1,773 |
| Plumbers | 3,003 | 684 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 246 |
| General Contractors | — | 6,042 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 119 |
| Excavating Contractors | — | 182 |
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.
Working one of these markets?
Colorado vs Pennsylvania: common questions
Does Colorado or Pennsylvania have more licensed contractors?
Pennsylvania has more: 9,064 active licensed contractors against 7,671 in Colorado, about 1.2× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits.
Which has the denser contractor market, Colorado or Pennsylvania?
Colorado is denser: 13.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 6.5 in Pennsylvania.
Where does household income run higher, Colorado or Pennsylvania?
Colorado: $92,748 median household income against $78,687 in Pennsylvania, per U.S. Census aggregates.
Where does this Colorado vs Pennsylvania comparison data come from?
License counts come straight from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits; population, household, income, and permit figures are U.S. Census aggregates. Only active licenses are counted.