Ohio vs Texas: contractor markets, side by side
Ohio has 12,409 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Texas has 10,207 — about 1.2× more licensed contractors. Counts come from the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Ohio | Texas | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 12,409 | 10,207 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 10.5 | 3.5 |
| Residents | 11,774,683 | 29,242,689 |
| Households | 5,251,186 | 11,654,379 |
| Median household income | $71,229 | $78,473 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,640 | 210,217 |
| Top city by licenses | Cincinnati | Houston |
Ohio is the denser market: 10.5 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 Texas — $78,473 median against $71,229 in Ohio — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Ohio | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,449 | 11,230 |
| Plumbers | 3,061 | — |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,899 | — |
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.