Florida vs New York: contractor markets, side by side
Florida has 108,645 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; New York has 28,981 — about 4× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Florida | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 108,645 | 28,981 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 50.2 | 14.5 |
| Residents | 21,634,506 | 19,994,326 |
| Households | 9,915,946 | 8,494,175 |
| Median household income | $71,602 | $89,542 |
| Building permits (2025) | 178,297 | 38,667 |
| Top city by licenses | Miami | Brooklyn |
Florida is the denser market: 50.2 active licenses per 10k residents against 14.5 in New York. 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 New York — $89,542 median against $71,602 in Florida — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Florida | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 13,814 | 3,510 |
| Plumbers | 8,257 | 1,148 |
| HVAC Contractors | 13,544 | 103 |
| General Contractors | 58,081 | 23,751 |
| Roofing Contractors | 9,917 | — |
| Solar Contractors | 431 | — |
| Pool Contractors | 4,601 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 469 |
| 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.