New York vs Oregon: contractor markets, side by side
New York has 29,413 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Oregon has 32,286: about 1.1× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP and the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| New York | Oregon | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 29,413 | 32,286 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 14.7 | 76.3 |
| Residents | 19,994,326 | 4,229,341 |
| Households | 8,494,175 | 1,818,529 |
| Median household income | $89,542 | $80,169 |
| Building permits (2025) | 38,667 | 14,679 |
| Top city by licenses | Br | Portland |
Oregon is the denser market: 76.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 14.7 in New York. 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 New York: $89,542 median against $80,169 in Oregon, which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | New York | Oregon |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 3,539 | 1,191 |
| Plumbers | 1,153 | 1,933 |
| HVAC Contractors | 103 | 458 |
| General Contractors | 24,443 | 30,673 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 471 | — |
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.
Working one of these markets?
New York vs Oregon: common questions
Does New York or Oregon have more licensed contractors?
Oregon has more: 32,286 active licensed contractors against 29,413 in New York, about 1.1× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP and the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB).
Which has the denser contractor market, New York or Oregon?
Oregon is denser: 76.3 active licenses per 10k residents against 14.7 in New York.
Where does household income run higher, New York or Oregon?
New York: $89,542 median household income against $80,169 in Oregon, per U.S. Census aggregates.
Where does this New York vs Oregon comparison data come from?
License counts come straight from the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP and the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB); population, household, income, and permit figures are U.S. Census aggregates. Only active licenses are counted.