Illinois vs Ohio: contractor markets, side by side
Illinois has 14,951 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Ohio has 12,409 — about 1.2× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings and the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Illinois | Ohio | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 14,951 | 12,409 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 11.7 | 10.5 |
| Residents | 12,757,583 | 11,774,683 |
| Households | 5,427,336 | 5,251,186 |
| Median household income | $84,033 | $71,229 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,551 | 33,640 |
| Top city by licenses | Chicago | Cincinnati |
Illinois is the denser market: 11.7 active licenses per 10k residents against 10.5 in Ohio. 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 Illinois — $84,033 median against $71,229 in Ohio — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Illinois | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,567 | 4,449 |
| Plumbers | 943 | 3,061 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 4,899 |
| General Contractors | 6,074 | — |
| Roofing Contractors | 4,404 | — |
| 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.