Nevada vs Pennsylvania: contractor markets, side by side
Nevada has 15,178 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Pennsylvania has 8,539 — about 1.8× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) and the Philadelphia L&I + Pittsburgh Permits; market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Nevada | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 15,178 | 8,539 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 40.4 | 6.1 |
| Residents | 3,752,362 | 13,983,292 |
| Households | 1,578,064 | 6,205,690 |
| Median household income | $71,790 | $78,687 |
| Building permits (2025) | 18,628 | 25,709 |
| Top city by licenses | Las Vegas | — |
Nevada is the denser market: 40.4 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 Pennsylvania — $78,687 median against $71,790 in Nevada — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Nevada | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,207 | 1,707 |
| Plumbers | 1,019 | 663 |
| HVAC Contractors | 1,217 | 238 |
| General Contractors | 4,047 | 5,654 |
| Roofing Contractors | 420 | — |
| Solar Contractors | 24 | — |
| Landscape Contractors | 742 | — |
| Pool Contractors | 214 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 142 | 114 |
| Carpenters | 1,482 | — |
| Concrete Contractors | 730 | — |
| Masons | 376 | — |
| Drywall Contractors | 327 | — |
| Tile Contractors | 407 | — |
| Excavating Contractors | 368 | 163 |
| Painters | 985 | — |
| Flooring Contractors | 678 | — |
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.