Short answer
The Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro had 2,702 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 19,912 people with $1.49 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns: 2,156 in Erie County and 546 in Niagara County. Inside the City of Buffalo, contractors need a city license; the city's open data lists 866 active contractor licenses, plus 172 master electricians and 165 master plumbers.
- 2,702 construction establishments and 19,912 employees in Erie and Niagara counties in 2023, averaging 7.4 employees.
- The City of Buffalo lists 663 light commercial, 109 general, 57 handyman and 37 home improvement contractor licenses, all active.
- Of 12,470 city permits issued in 2025, 7,942 were electrical, plumbing or heating permits.
- Residential remodelers (618) are the largest single type of contractor in the metro.
- Single-family permits in the metro rose from 749 in 2024 to 902 in 2025.
On this page
This report is for homeowners, landlords and businesses hiring a contractor in the Buffalo area, firms looking for subcontractors, job seekers, and B2B sellers covering Western New York. It covers the Census count, the City of Buffalo's license and permit records, how to hire well and a prospecting plan.
Buffalo-Niagara construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area (CBSA 15380):
| Measure | Metro Buffalo, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 2,702 |
| Employees | 19,912 |
| Annual payroll | $1,493,381,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 7.4 |
| Average annual pay | $74,999 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.33% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County, New York | 2,156 | 17,108 | 7.9 |
| Niagara County, New York | 546 | 2,804 | 5.1 |
Erie County has 80% of the metro's establishments and 86% of its construction jobs. The metro has slightly more contractors than Rochester (2,573) but fewer employees (19,912 against 21,435).
The City of Buffalo's license lists
A City of Buffalo ordinance requires anyone in a home improvement business (painting, siding, roofing and the like) or doing construction work in the city to hold a city contractor license, and all mechanical contractors (electricians, plumbers and HVAC) must be licensed by the city. The Department of Permit and Inspection Services publishes the license holders as open data:
| City license | Active licenses |
|---|---|
| Light commercial contractor | 663 |
| General contractor | 109 |
| Handyman contractor | 57 |
| Home improvement contractor | 37 |
| Master electrician | 172 |
| Master plumber | 165 |
| Journeyman plumber | 488 |
The four contractor license lists total 866, all active and expiring on 30 September 2027. Each record gives the business name and license type, so the lists double as a starting point for anyone selling to contractors who work in the city.
What the city's permits show
The same department publishes every permit it issues. In calendar 2025 it issued 12,470:
| Permit type | Permits, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Electrical | 3,519 |
| Repair | 3,032 |
| Plumbing | 2,674 |
| Heating | 1,749 |
| Repair with plans | 371 |
| Fence and driveway | 206 |
| Demolition | 68 |
Electrical, plumbing and heating permits make up 63.7% of the total, and the permits added 727 housing units. Licensed master plumbers were on 2,663 permits and master electricians on 2,162, more than general and light commercial contractors combined. For trade suppliers, the permit data is a monthly record of who is busy.
Firm size
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,797 |
| 5 to 9 | 454 |
| 10 to 19 | 224 |
| 20 to 49 | 167 |
| 50 to 99 | 45 |
| 100 to 249 | 11 |
| 250 to 499 | 4 |
| 500 or more | Not published |
That's 2,475 establishments (91.6%) with 1 to 19 employees, 212 with 20 to 99 and 15 with 100 or more. The two largest classes aren't published; by subtraction, none has 500 or more.
Trades and builders
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 1,734 | 14,729 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 308 | 4,015 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 210 | 2,769 |
| Building finishing (2383) | 495 | 2,855 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 136 | 1,374 |
| Poured concrete (238110) | 109 | 380 |
| Roofing (238160) | 81 | 701 |
| Building construction (236) | 871 | 4,234 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 618 | 1,992 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 111 | 1,524 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 97 | 949 |
Remodelers are 22.9% of establishments. Heavy civil firms are few and small here: 97 establishments averaging 9.8 employees.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies; a contractor with offices in Amherst and Lackawanna counts twice. Sole proprietors with no employees aren't included, and employment reflects a single pay period, the one including March 12, 2023. The city license lists, by contrast, include any firm licensed to work in Buffalo, wherever it's based.
New housing across the metro
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 1,484 new housing units authorized in the metro in 2025, up from 1,375 in 2024. Single-family units rose from 749 to 902 (20.4%), while units in buildings of five or more fell from 578 to 500.
How to hire a contractor in Buffalo
- Inside the city, check the license list for the business name and license type; for electrical and plumbing work, check the master electrician or master plumber list.
- Outside the city, ask the town or village building department what it requires.
- Search the permit data by contractor to see recent jobs of the same kind.
- Get insurance certificates, including workers' compensation, and two or three references.
- Agree the scope, price and payment schedule in writing before any deposit.
For public or subsidized projects, New York's Department of Labor requires contractors and subcontractors to register on its Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry before bidding or starting work, and posts the registry on a public dashboard.
Public companies
Western New York has no listed construction company in SEC records with a business address in Erie or Niagara County, so permit and license activity is the practical guide to who is busiest.
Selling to Buffalo construction companies
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 2,475 | The owner, often the licensed master |
| 20 to 99 employees | 212 | Owner with a service manager, estimator or office manager |
| 100 or more | 15 | Operations, safety and purchasing leaders |
The market is mechanical and repair work done by small firms. Sellers of parts, equipment, vans, software and financing do best with the licensed masters and the 308 plumbing and HVAC establishments. Our lead generation for small business guide covers channels that reach owner-operators.
Illustrative example. The company and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023 and City of Buffalo data.
Lake Effect Heating Supply (lakeeffectsupply.example) distributes boilers and heating parts. Its target is the 308 plumbing and HVAC establishments in the metro, cross-checked against the city's 165 master plumbers and the firms named on the 1,749 heating permits issued in 2025. If 50% of the 308 buy from a distributor at least monthly, that's 154 accounts. At $36,000 a year each, winning 12% (18 accounts) is $648,000 in annual sales. Which firms pulled the most heating permits last winter tells it where to start; Bebop researches each account in a list like this and drafts the first email.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| City of Buffalo licensed contractors | General, light commercial, handyman and home improvement licenses with business names |
| City of Buffalo permits | Every permit since 2000 with type, value, license type and description |
| NYS Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry | Contractors registered for public work, with a public dashboard |
| ABC Empire State Chapter | Merit shop contractors, with a branch office in Buffalo |
| Buffalo Niagara Builders Association | Builders, developers and associated businesses |
| Buffalo Niagara Partnership | The regional chamber of commerce |
| Invest Buffalo Niagara | Economic development for the eight counties of Western New York |
For the neighboring market to the east, see Rochester construction companies.
Next step: build your list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Licensed Contractors in the City of Buffalo (General, Home, Handyman, Light Commercial), City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services (OpenData Buffalo), updated 30 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Licensed Contractors: Master Electrician; Plumbers, Journeyman and Master, City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services (OpenData Buffalo), updated 30 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Permits, City of Buffalo Department of Permit and Inspection Services (OpenData Buffalo), updated 29 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual metro area data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry, New York State Department of Labor, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Buffalo, NY?
The US Census Bureau counted 2,702 construction establishments with paid employees in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area in 2023, employing 19,912 people: 2,156 in Erie County and 546 in Niagara County. These are locations with payroll, not companies. Inside the city, Buffalo's open data lists 866 active contractor licenses across general, light commercial, handyman and home improvement categories.
Do contractors need a license in Buffalo, NY?
Yes, inside the city. A City of Buffalo ordinance requires anyone in a home improvement business, such as painting, siding or roofing, or doing construction work in the city to hold a city contractor license, and all mechanical contractors, including electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors, must be licensed by the city. The Department of Permit and Inspection Services publishes the license lists online.
How do I check a contractor's license in Buffalo?
Search the City of Buffalo's open data for licensed contractors by business name. The lists cover general, light commercial, handyman and home improvement contractors, with separate lists for master electricians and master and journeyman plumbers. Then search the city's permit data to see the jobs the firm has done. Outside the city limits, ask the town or village building department.
What kind of construction work is most common in Buffalo?
Mechanical and repair work. Of the 12,470 permits the City of Buffalo issued in 2025, 3,519 were electrical, 3,032 repair, 2,674 plumbing and 1,749 heating permits. Across the metro, residential remodelers are the most common type of contractor, with 618 establishments in 2023, followed by building finishing contractors (495) and plumbing and HVAC contractors (308).
What are the biggest construction companies in Buffalo?
No listed construction contractor has its business address in the Buffalo metro, so there are no public revenue figures to rank local firms. Census data shows 15 construction establishments in the metro with 100 or more employees and, by subtraction from the published size classes, none with 500 or more. Permit counts in the city's data show which firms are most active.