Illinois vs Oregon: contractor markets, side by side
Illinois has 14,951 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Oregon has 32,659 — about 2.2× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings and the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Illinois | Oregon | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 14,951 | 32,659 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 11.7 | 77.2 |
| Residents | 12,757,583 | 4,229,341 |
| Households | 5,427,336 | 1,818,529 |
| Median household income | $84,033 | $80,169 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,551 | 14,679 |
| Top city by licenses | Chicago | Portland |
Oregon is the denser market: 77.2 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 Illinois — $84,033 median against $80,169 in Oregon — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Illinois | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,567 | 1,168 |
| Plumbers | 943 | 1,877 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 429 |
| General Contractors | 6,074 | 29,185 |
| 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.