Minnesota vs Pennsylvania: contractor markets, side by side
Minnesota has 16,386 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Pennsylvania has 8,539 — about 1.9× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Minnesota | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 16,386 | 8,539 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 28.8 | 6.1 |
| Residents | 5,695,830 | 13,983,292 |
| Households | 2,494,239 | 6,205,690 |
| Median household income | $88,902 | $78,687 |
| Building permits (2025) | 20,947 | 25,709 |
| Top city by licenses | Minneapolis | — |
Minnesota is the denser market: 28.8 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 Minnesota — $88,902 median against $78,687 in Pennsylvania — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Minnesota | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 3,037 | 1,707 |
| Plumbers | 1,882 | 663 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,713 | 238 |
| General Contractors | 14,761 | 5,654 |
| Roofing Contractors | 173 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 114 |
| 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.