Florida vs Minnesota: contractor markets, side by side
Florida has 108,645 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Minnesota has 16,386 — about 7× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Florida | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 108,645 | 16,386 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 50.2 | 28.8 |
| Residents | 21,634,506 | 5,695,830 |
| Households | 9,915,946 | 2,494,239 |
| Median household income | $71,602 | $88,902 |
| Building permits (2025) | 178,297 | 20,947 |
| Top city by licenses | Miami | Minneapolis |
Florida is the denser market: 50.2 active licenses per 10k residents against 28.8 in Minnesota. 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 Minnesota — $88,902 median against $71,602 in Florida — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Florida | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 13,814 | 3,037 |
| Plumbers | 8,257 | 1,882 |
| HVAC Contractors | 13,544 | 4,713 |
| General Contractors | 58,081 | 14,761 |
| Roofing Contractors | 9,917 | 173 |
| Solar Contractors | 431 | — |
| Pool Contractors | 4,601 | — |
| Excavating Contractors | 2,570 | — |
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.