New York vs Texas: contractor markets, side by side
New York has 28,981 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Texas has 10,207 — about 2.8× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the NYC Department of Buildings + DCWP and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| New York | Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 28,981 | 10,207 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 14.5 | 3.5 |
| Residents | 19,994,326 | 29,242,689 |
| Households | 8,494,175 | 11,654,379 |
| Median household income | $89,542 | $78,473 |
| Building permits (2025) | 38,667 | 210,217 |
| Top city by licenses | Brooklyn | Houston |
New York is the denser market: 14.5 active licenses per 10k residents against 3.5 in Texas. 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 $78,473 in Texas — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | New York | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 3,510 | 11,230 |
| Plumbers | 1,148 | — |
| HVAC Contractors | 103 | — |
| General Contractors | 23,751 | — |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | 469 | — |
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.