Minnesota vs Ohio: contractor markets, side by side
Minnesota has 16,386 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Ohio has 12,409 — about 1.3× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) and the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Minnesota | Ohio | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 16,386 | 12,409 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 28.8 | 10.5 |
| Residents | 5,695,830 | 11,774,683 |
| Households | 2,494,239 | 5,251,186 |
| Median household income | $88,902 | $71,229 |
| Building permits (2025) | 20,947 | 33,640 |
| Top city by licenses | Minneapolis | Cincinnati |
Minnesota is the denser market: 28.8 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 Minnesota — $88,902 median against $71,229 in Ohio — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Minnesota | Ohio |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 3,037 | 4,449 |
| Plumbers | 1,882 | 3,061 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,713 | 4,899 |
| General Contractors | 14,761 | — |
| Roofing Contractors | 173 | — |
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.