Short answer
Arizona had 15,551 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 208,755 people with $15.19 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. That's 1.91% of the US total and 17th among states. Maricopa County had 9,692 and Pima County 1,974. Every contractor needs a Registrar of Contractors license in one of seven classifications, from general residential to general engineering, with a bond sized to its annual volume.
- 15,551 construction establishments and 208,755 employees in Arizona in 2023; they average 13.4 employees, against 9.4 nationally.
- Outside the Phoenix metro, Arizona has 5,248 construction establishments averaging 9.3 employees.
- Arizona permitted 51,532 new housing units in 2025, down from 59,616 in 2024; 77% were in the Phoenix metro.
- Arizona law sets seven license classifications, and a general commercial contractor's bond ranges from $5,000 to $100,000 depending on annual volume.
- Meritage Homes of Scottsdale is the one listed homebuilder headquartered in Arizona since Berkshire Hathaway acquired Taylor Morrison in July 2026.
On this page
This report is for people looking at construction companies across Arizona: owners and developers outside the big metros looking for a builder, contractors and suppliers planning a statewide territory, researchers and B2B sellers. For the Phoenix metro in detail, see the Phoenix construction companies report; this page covers the whole state.
Arizona construction by the numbers
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), State of Arizona:
| Measure | Arizona, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 15,551 |
| Employees | 208,755 |
| Annual payroll | $15,190,826,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 13.4 |
| Average annual pay | $72,769 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 1.91% (of 814,557) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 17th |
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 9,219 |
| 5 to 9 | 2,593 |
| 10 to 19 | 1,755 |
| 20 to 49 | 1,197 |
| 50 to 99 | 450 |
| 100 to 249 | 253 |
| 250 to 499 | 59 |
| 500 to 999 | 19 |
| 1,000 or more | 6 |
In three bands: 13,567 establishments (87.2%) have 1 to 19 employees, 1,647 (10.6%) have 20 to 99 and 337 (2.2%) have 100 or more.
Beyond Phoenix
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa | 9,692 | 155,355 |
| Pima | 1,974 | 24,969 |
| Yavapai | 971 | 6,829 |
| Mohave | 672 | 4,296 |
| Pinal | 611 | 4,770 |
| Coconino | 421 | 3,035 |
| Yuma | 384 | 3,416 |
| Navajo | 237 | 1,398 |
| Cochise | 223 | 2,014 |
| Gila | 144 | 808 |
| Santa Cruz | 74 | 396 |
| Graham | 65 | 473 |
Apache, Greenlee and La Paz counties hold the other 83. Maricopa and Pinal make up the Phoenix metro, with 10,303 establishments and 160,125 employees. The rest of the state has 5,248 establishments with 48,630 employees, an average of 9.3, about the national norm. Statewide average pay of $72,769 is below the US figure of $76,580 because pay outside metro Phoenix is lower.
Pima County (Tucson) is the second market, with 12.7% of the state's establishments. Yavapai (Prescott) and Mohave (Kingman and Lake Havasu City) come next, with mostly small residential builders and trades: 7.0 and 6.4 employees per establishment.
What CBP counts. Establishments (locations) with paid employees in the pay period including March 12, 2023, not companies. A Phoenix contractor with a Tucson branch counts once in each county. Sole proprietors without payroll aren't counted, and out-of-state firms working on Arizona jobs are counted where they're based.
Trades and builders
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 10,521 | 142,590 |
| Electrical, plumbing and HVAC (2382) | 4,409 | 64,403 |
| Building finishing (2383) | 2,599 | 26,593 |
| Foundation, structure and exterior (2381) | 2,004 | 32,539 |
| Other specialty, including site preparation (2389) | 1,509 | 19,055 |
| Building construction (236) | 4,323 | 41,273 |
| Residential building (2361) | 3,508 | 23,468 |
| Commercial and institutional building (236220) | 763 | 16,099 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 707 | 24,892 |
| Utility systems (2371) | 393 | 13,638 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 169 | 9,387 |
Heavy and civil firms average 35 employees and highway contractors 56, so a few hundred firms hold most of Arizona's road, water and power work.
Housing permits by metro
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counts new housing units authorized:
| Metro area | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 45,884 | 39,699 |
| Tucson | 5,250 | 4,658 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman | 2,543 | 1,817 |
| Prescott Valley-Prescott | 2,068 | 1,718 |
| Yuma | 1,401 | 1,155 |
| Flagstaff | 703 | 634 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas | 441 | 463 |
| Arizona total | 59,616 | 51,532 |
Every metro except Sierra Vista-Douglas permitted fewer units in 2025. Statewide, single-family units fell from 41,944 to 33,371 while units in buildings of five or more rose from 15,518 to 16,691. For trades that depend on production homebuilders, that's a smaller pipeline everywhere in the state.
Arizona's seven license classifications
The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) licenses contractors in the classifications set by A.R.S. 32-1102:
| Classification | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General commercial | Any structure on commercial property, including managing other contractors' work |
| General dual licensed | General contracting on residential or commercial property |
| General engineering | Fixed works needing specialized engineering skills: highways, bridges, tunnels, sewers, transmission lines (not residential) |
| General residential | Building, altering, repairing or demolishing residential structures, including pools |
| Specialty commercial | One specialized trade, outside residential work |
| Specialty dual licensed | One specialized trade, on residential and commercial work |
| Specialty residential | One specialized trade, within residential property lines |
Each license carries a bond (A.R.S. 32-1152), and the amount tracks the volume the contractor declares:
| Estimated annual volume | General commercial bond | Specialty commercial bond |
|---|---|---|
| Under $150,000 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
| $150,000 to $500,000 | $5,000 to $15,000 | $2,500 to $7,500 |
| $500,000 to $1 million | $10,000 to $25,000 | $5,000 to $17,500 |
| $1 million to $5 million | $15,000 to $50,000 | $7,500 to $25,000 |
| $5 million to $10 million | $35,000 to $75,000 | $17,500 to $37,500 |
| $10 million or more | $50,000 to $100,000 | $37,500 to $50,000 |
General residential bonds run from $5,000 to $15,000 and specialty residential from $1,000 to $7,500. Residential and dual licensed contractors must also either post an extra $200,000 bond or pay into the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund. Ask a contractor which bond it carries: it's a rough, self-declared signal of the volume it expects to do. Exemptions such as small jobs under $1,000 are covered in the Phoenix report.
Public companies headquartered in Arizona
| Company | Headquarters | Business | Revenue, 2025 | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meritage Homes (NYSE: MTH) | Scottsdale | Entry-level and first move-up homes in 12 states | $5.82 billion total closing revenue | 1,860 full-time |
The figure is company-wide from the 2025 Form 10-K. Taylor Morrison, also based in Scottsdale, reported $8.12 billion in 2025 revenue but became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway on 24 July 2026 and deregistered its shares in August, so it no longer files public results. Arizona's large private commercial and civil contractors don't publish revenue.
Choosing a contractor outside the big metros
- Match the classification to the job. A general residential license for a home, general commercial for a shop or office, general engineering for a road or water line, a specialty class for one trade.
- Search the ROC record for status, the qualifying party and complaints, and make sure the licensed name matches the contract.
- Ask about the bond and the volume behind it; a $5,000 commercial bond means the firm declared under $500,000 a year.
- Check local permits. Counties and cities issue their own; in Tucson, ask the city's Planning and Development Services Department.
- Confirm the crew is local. In rural counties, ask where the firm is based and how often it will be on site.
A statewide prospecting plan
| Territory | Establishments | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa and Pinal | 10,303 | ROC classes and city permits; see the Phoenix report |
| Pima | 1,974 | Tucson permits, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association |
| Yavapai, Mohave and Coconino | 2,064 | Residential builders and trades; housing permits by metro |
| Yuma, Cochise, Santa Cruz and the rest | 1,210 | Specialty trades and civil contractors on public work |
At the 13,567 establishments under 20 employees, the owner, usually the license's qualifying party, decides. At the 337 with 100 or more, find safety, equipment, procurement and preconstruction leaders.
Illustrative example. The company and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Sonoran Lift Rentals (sonoranlift.example) wants to open a Tucson branch. Pima County has 1,974 construction establishments with 24,969 employees. If 15% (about 296) use aerial lifts or telehandlers at least once a year and it wins a third of them at an average of $7,500 in rentals each, that's 99 customers and $742,500 a year, enough to justify a branch. The research that matters is which of those firms are busy now; Bebop finds companies that match a description like this and builds a playbook for each.
Sources for names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| ROC contractor search | Licensed contractors by name, number and classification, with status |
| A.R.S. 32-1102 and 32-1152 | The license classifications and bond amounts in the statute |
| Arizona Chapter AGC | Highway, heavy and building contractors and suppliers |
| Home Builders Association of Central Arizona | Homebuilders and trades in metro Phoenix |
| Southern Arizona Home Builders Association | Homebuilders and trades in the Tucson region |
| Tucson Planning and Development Services | Permits and development in Tucson |
| Census Building Permits Survey | Housing units authorized by state, metro and county |
Next step: go deeper on the largest market with the Phoenix construction companies report, or build a statewide list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual state and CBSA data for 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1102, Classifications of contractors licenses, Arizona State Legislature, accessed 30 October 2026
- A.R.S. 32-1152, Bond requirements, Arizona State Legislature, accessed 30 October 2026
- Meritage Homes Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 13 February 2026
- Taylor Morrison Home Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 18 February 2026
- Taylor Morrison Home Corporation Form 8-K (completion of merger), US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 24 July 2026
- Taylor Morrison Home Corporation Form 15-12G, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 4 August 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Arizona?
The Census Bureau counted 15,551 construction establishments with paid employees in Arizona in 2023, employing 208,755 people. That's 1.91% of the US total and 17th among states. Maricopa County had 9,692 and Pima County 1,974. The count is of locations rather than companies, and it excludes self-employed contractors with no employees.
What are the contractor license classifications in Arizona?
Arizona law (A.R.S. 32-1102) sets seven: general commercial, general dual licensed, general engineering, general residential, specialty commercial, specialty dual licensed and specialty residential. General classes cover whole projects, including managing other contractors; specialty classes cover a single trade. Engineering covers fixed works such as highways, sewers and transmission lines, and excludes residential work.
How much is a contractor bond in Arizona?
It depends on the license and the volume the contractor declares (A.R.S. 32-1152). General commercial bonds run from $5,000 for under $150,000 a year to between $50,000 and $100,000 for $10 million or more. General residential bonds are $5,000 to $15,000 and specialty residential $1,000 to $7,500. Residential contractors also post a $200,000 bond or pay into the recovery fund.
What are the largest construction companies in Arizona?
Among listed companies, Meritage Homes of Scottsdale reported $5.82 billion in total closing revenue for 2025. Taylor Morrison, also of Scottsdale, reported $8.12 billion for 2025 but was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in July 2026 and no longer files public results. Large private commercial and civil contractors in Arizona don't publish revenue, so no public filing ranks them.
Is construction slowing in Arizona?
Housing construction slowed in 2025. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows 51,532 new housing units authorized in Arizona in 2025, down from 59,616 in 2024, as single-family units fell from 41,944 to 33,371. Units in buildings of five or more rose. Every metro except Sierra Vista-Douglas permitted fewer units. Commercial and infrastructure work isn't in these counts.