Illinois vs New York: contractor markets, side by side
Illinois has 14,951 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; New York has 28,981 — about 1.9× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings and the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Illinois | New York | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 14,951 | 28,981 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 11.7 | 14.5 |
| Residents | 12,757,583 | 19,994,326 |
| Households | 5,427,336 | 8,494,175 |
| Median household income | $84,033 | $89,542 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,551 | 38,667 |
| Top city by licenses | Chicago | Brooklyn |
New York is the denser market: 14.5 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 New York — $89,542 median against $84,033 in Illinois — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Illinois | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,567 | 3,510 |
| Plumbers | 943 | 1,148 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 103 |
| General Contractors | 6,074 | 23,751 |
| Roofing Contractors | 4,404 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 469 |
| 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.