Illinois vs Pennsylvania: contractor markets, side by side
Illinois has 14,951 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Pennsylvania has 8,539 — about 1.8× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the IDFPR + Chicago Department of Buildings and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Illinois | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 14,951 | 8,539 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 11.7 | 6.1 |
| Residents | 12,757,583 | 13,983,292 |
| Households | 5,427,336 | 6,205,690 |
| Median household income | $84,033 | $78,687 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,551 | 25,709 |
| Top city by licenses | Chicago | — |
Illinois is the denser market: 11.7 active licenses per 10k residents against 6.1 in Pennsylvania. 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 $78,687 in Pennsylvania — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Illinois | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,567 | 1,707 |
| Plumbers | 943 | 663 |
| HVAC Contractors | — | 238 |
| General Contractors | 6,074 | 5,654 |
| Roofing Contractors | 4,404 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 114 |
| Masons | 963 | — |
| Excavating Contractors | — | 163 |
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.