Illinois vs Minnesota: contractor markets, side by side
Illinois has 14,951 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Minnesota has 16,386 — about 1.1× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings and the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Illinois | Minnesota | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 14,951 | 16,386 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 11.7 | 28.8 |
| Residents | 12,757,583 | 5,695,830 |
| Households | 5,427,336 | 2,494,239 |
| Median household income | $84,033 | $88,902 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,551 | 20,947 |
| Top city by licenses | Chicago | Minneapolis |
Minnesota is the denser market: 28.8 active licenses per 10k residents against 11.7 in Illinois. 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 $84,033 in Illinois — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Illinois | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,567 | 3,037 |
| Plumbers | 943 | 1,882 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 4,713 |
| General Contractors | 6,074 | 14,761 |
| Roofing Contractors | 4,404 | 173 |
| Masons | 963 | — |
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.