Ohio vs Virginia: contractor markets, side by side
Ohio has 12,409 active licensed contractors across the trades we cover; Virginia has 42,424 — about 3× fewer licensed contractors. Counts come from the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) and the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR); market figures are U.S. Census aggregates.
| Ohio | Virginia | |
|---|---|---|
| Active licensed contractors | 12,409 | 42,424 |
| Licenses per 10k residents | 10.5 | 35.5 |
| Residents | 11,774,683 | 11,942,085 |
| Households | 5,251,186 | 4,997,364 |
| Median household income | $71,229 | $102,122 |
| Building permits (2025) | 33,640 | 32,274 |
| Top city by licenses | Cincinnati | Virginia Beach |
Virginia is the denser market: 35.5 active licenses per 10k residents against 10.5 in Ohio. 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 Virginia — $102,122 median against $71,229 in Ohio — which generally shows up in project budgets and ticket sizes.
Trade by trade
| Trade | Ohio | Virginia |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 4,449 | 3,849 |
| Plumbers | 3,061 | 1,388 |
| HVAC Contractors | 4,899 | 2,373 |
| General Contractors | — | 29,762 |
| Roofing Contractors | — | 1,316 |
| Landscape Contractors | — | 2,141 |
| Fire-Protection Contractors | — | 408 |
| Carpenters | — | 53 |
| Concrete Contractors | — | 1,262 |
| Masons | — | 1,015 |
| Drywall Contractors | — | 139 |
| Excavating Contractors | — | 3,096 |
| Painters | — | 2,104 |
| Flooring Contractors | — | 154 |
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.