Short answer
The Albuquerque metro had 1,985 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 25,229 people with $1.64 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Bernalillo County has 1,534 of them. Most are small: 1,712 have fewer than 20 employees and 40 have 100 or more. New Mexico licenses contractors through the Construction Industries Division, and each license covers only the work in its classification, such as GB-2 for residential building.
- 1,985 construction establishments and 25,229 employees in the Albuquerque metro in 2023: 42.8% of New Mexico's establishments and 54.5% of its construction jobs.
- Bernalillo County holds 1,534; Sandoval 260 and Valencia 167.
- Specialty trades are two-thirds of establishments, led by plumbing and HVAC (318) and electrical (273) contractors.
- Average construction pay is $64,927, about $11,700 below the national figure.
- A New Mexico license authorizes only the work in its classification: GB-2 residential, GB-98 general building, GF fixed works, GA paving and GS specialties.
On this page
This report is for homeowners and businesses hiring a contractor in the Albuquerque area, contractors looking for partners or subcontractors, job seekers, and B2B sellers whose customers are builders and trades. It covers the Census count, New Mexico's license classes, how to vet a firm and how to prospect the market.
Albuquerque construction by the numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Albuquerque, NM Metro Area (CBSA 10740):
| Measure | Metro Albuquerque, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 1,985 |
| Employees | 25,229 |
| Annual payroll | $1,638,037,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 12.7 |
| Average annual pay | $64,927 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.24% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Bernalillo County, New Mexico | 1,534 | 21,223 |
| Sandoval County, New Mexico | 260 | 2,440 |
| Valencia County, New Mexico | 167 | 1,295 |
| Torrance County, New Mexico | 24 | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
The Census Bureau published Torrance County's employment with a high-noise flag, meaning the noise it adds to protect confidentiality changed the figure by 5% or more, so we leave it out. Bernalillo County has 77% of the metro's establishments and 84% of its construction jobs, with 13.8 employees per establishment against 9.4 in Sandoval.
New Mexico as a whole had 4,638 construction establishments and 46,332 employees, so the metro is 42.8% of the state's contractors and 54.5% of its construction workforce. Average pay in the metro, $64,927, is above the state's $61,951 but about $11,700 below the national construction average of $76,580.
Firm size
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,133 |
| 5 to 9 | 350 |
| 10 to 19 | 229 |
| 20 to 49 | 171 |
| 50 to 99 | 62 |
| 100 to 249 | 31 |
| 250 to 499 | 5 |
| 500 to 999 | 4 |
| 1,000 or more | 0 |
In broader bands: 1,712 establishments (86.2%) have 1 to 19 employees, 233 have 20 to 99 and 40 have 100 or more. Nine establishments have 250 or more; none has 1,000.
Who builds what
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 1,323 | 16,070 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 318 | 3,879 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 273 | 3,873 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring (2383) | 291 | 2,529 |
| Roofing (238160) | 113 | 1,140 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 56 | 1,112 |
| Building construction (236) | 552 | 5,575 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 258 | 1,487 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 151 | 2,142 |
| Industrial building (236210) | 8 | 1,250 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 110 | 3,584 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 30 | 1,588 |
| Utility systems (2371) | 68 | 1,787 |
Two small groups employ far more than their numbers suggest: 8 industrial building contractors employ 1,250 people, and 30 highway and bridge contractors employ 1,588. Those few firms are where large equipment, safety and materials purchases happen.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies; a firm with an office in the North Valley and a yard in Rio Rancho counts twice. It leaves out self-employed contractors with no payroll, and employment is for the pay period including March 12, 2023. Contractors based elsewhere in New Mexico that work in Albuquerque are counted where they're based.
New Mexico license classes
New Mexico's Construction Industries Division (CID), part of the Regulation and Licensing Department, licenses contractors under the Construction Industries Licensing Act. Its rules say a license "authorizes contracting only in the scope of work authorized by the classification(s)" on it, and work outside that scope is a violation. The code tells you the scope: the first letter is the field (G for general construction, E for electrical, M for mechanical), the second the type of work and the number the classification.
| If the job is | Ask for | What the rules say |
|---|---|---|
| A house, addition or remodel (up to four units) | GB-2, residential | Two years of foreman-level experience; residences and apartment houses of up to four units |
| A commercial building or a mix of commercial and residential | GB-98, general building | Four years of experience, two of them commercial; includes GB-2 and the GS specialties |
| Roads, parking lots or paving | GA classifications (GA-98 covers all) | Asphalt, bitumen and concrete surfaces for vehicles |
| Utilities, pipelines and other fixed or public works | GF classifications (GF-98 covers all) | Four years of experience for GF-98 |
| One trade, such as framing or drywall | The matching GS specialty | Licensed in that specialty only |
| Electrical or mechanical work | E or M classifications | An electrical contractor can bid as prime only when electrical work is the major portion of the contract |
How to vet an Albuquerque contractor
- Verify the license. The Regulation and Licensing Department sends CID license checks to its testing vendor's public search. Confirm the license is active, the name matches your contract and the classification fits the job.
- Match the classification to the scope. A GB-2 contractor can't legally build your commercial space; a GS specialty contractor can't run a whole remodel as prime.
- Ask who will do the electrical and mechanical work, and check those subcontractors' E and M licenses too.
- Get proof of insurance and references from jobs in Bernalillo or Sandoval County in the last two years.
- Get a written contract with scope, schedule and payment terms tied to inspections.
What's being permitted
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 2,830 new housing units authorized in the Albuquerque metro in 2025, against 2,876 in 2024. The mix shifted: single-family units fell from 2,064 to 1,812, while units in buildings of five or more rose from 762 to 984. Multifamily work favors the larger GB-98 contractors and the framing, drywall and mechanical subcontractors they hire.
Public companies
No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the Albuquerque metro, so there are no filings to rank local contractors by revenue. Size has to be judged from license classification, permits and headcount.
Selling to Albuquerque contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,712 | The owner, who is often the license's qualifying party |
| 20 to 99 employees | 233 | Owner with an office manager, controller or project manager |
| 100 or more | 40 | Operations, safety, equipment and finance leaders |
With fewer than 2,000 establishments, this is a market you can cover account by account. The 273 establishments with 20 or more employees are the core for most B2B offers, and the license classification is a clean way to split them: GB-98 and GF holders for commercial and civil offers, GB-2 holders for residential ones. For more on reaching owners of small firms, see the guide to selling to small businesses.
Illustrative example. The firm and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Sandia Ledger (sandialedger.example) is an accounting firm that does job costing and bonding-ready financial statements for contractors. Its target is the 233 establishments with 20 to 99 employees in the metro. Assuming 60% are independent firms that keep their accounting local, that's about 140 prospects. At an average engagement of $18,000 a year, winning 10% (14 clients) is $252,000 in annual fees. The research that decides the order of the list is which firms are bidding larger public or commercial work, which is when a bank or surety asks for reviewed statements. Bebop researches each firm on a list like this and suggests the angle to open with.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| RLD license verification | Where to verify Construction Industries Division licenses, with the link to the public search |
| CID license search | Licensed contractors by name, license number and classification |
| AGC New Mexico | Commercial, highway and heavy contractors, with its Best Buildings awards |
| Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico | Builder and remodeler member directories |
| Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance | Regional economic development and company expansion news |
| Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce | Local business network and member news |
Next step: for how to build the list itself, use the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- 14.6.6 NMAC, Classifications and scopes, New Mexico State Records Center and Archives, accessed 30 October 2026
- Verify a License, New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, accessed 30 October 2026
- Construction Industries Division, New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual metro area data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Albuquerque?
The US Census Bureau counted 1,985 construction establishments with paid employees in the Albuquerque metro area in 2023, employing 25,229 people. Bernalillo County had 1,534, Sandoval 260, Valencia 167 and Torrance 24. These are locations with payroll, not companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't included, so the number of active businesses is higher.
Do contractors need a license in New Mexico?
Yes. New Mexico licenses contractors through the Construction Industries Division of the Regulation and Licensing Department, under the Construction Industries Licensing Act. Each license carries one or more classifications, such as GB-2 for residential building or GB-98 for general building, and the division's rules say a license authorizes contracting only within the scope of its classifications.
What is the difference between a GB-2 and a GB-98 license?
Under New Mexico's rules, GB-2 is the residential classification: it covers residences and apartment houses of up to four units and requires two years of foreman-level experience. GB-98 is general building: it covers residential and commercial buildings, includes the GB-2 and GS specialty classifications, and requires four years of experience, at least two of them commercial.
How do I check a contractor's license in Albuquerque?
The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Verify a License page links to the public license search for Construction Industries Division licenses. Search by the contractor's name or license number, check that the license is active and that its classification covers your job, and confirm the business name matches your contract. Check electrical and mechanical subcontractors' licenses too.
What are the largest construction companies in Albuquerque?
No listed construction contractor has its business address in the Albuquerque metro, so there are no public revenue figures to rank local firms. Census data shows 40 construction establishments with 100 or more employees in the metro, and 9 with 250 or more. License classifications, permit records and trade association member lists are the best public guides to which firms are largest.