Short answer
California had 86,763 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 870,789 people with $73.3 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns: 10.65% of the US total and first among states. Anyone contracting for work of $1,000 or more, or any work needing a building permit, must hold a Contractors State License Board license. The largest public construction companies headquartered in California include KB Home, Tutor Perini and Granite Construction.
- 86,763 construction establishments and 870,789 employees in 2023, first among states on both counts; average pay $84,200.
- Six metros, led by Los Angeles (25,486 establishments), hold 75% of the state's construction establishments.
- CSLB licenses general engineering (A), general building (B), residential remodeling (B-2) and 43 specialty (C) classes, each with a $25,000 contractor's bond.
- The minor work exemption rose from $500 to $1,000 on 1 January 2025, and it never covers work that needs a permit.
- Eight listed construction companies headquartered in California reported revenue in their latest 10-K, from KB Home ($6.24 billion) to SolarMax ($91.0 million).
On this page
This report is for anyone working with California contractors at state scale: owners and developers comparing builders across regions, companies looking for acquisitions or partners, and B2B sellers planning a California territory. Start with the license, because in California it's the backbone of every list.
California licenses every contractor
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) licenses contractors under the Business and Professions Code. Since 1 January 2025, the minor work exemption covers only a project where labor, materials and everything else total less than $1,000 and no building permit is needed. Splitting a job into smaller contracts to stay under the limit doesn't count, and anyone who advertises as a contractor or employs a helper needs a license whatever the job size.
| Classification | What it covers |
|---|---|
| A, General Engineering | Fixed works needing specialized engineering: highways, bridges, pipelines, dams, sewers |
| B, General Building | Structures for shelter, support or enclosure, using two or more unrelated trades |
| B-2, Residential Remodeling | Improvements to existing wood-frame homes using three or more unrelated trades |
| C, Specialty (43 classes, C-2 to C-61) | One trade each, such as C-10 electrical, C-20 HVAC, C-36 plumbing, C-39 roofing |
Every license needs a qualifying individual with at least four years of journey-level experience, a passed exam and a $25,000 contractor's bond on file. That gives you four quick checks on any firm in CSLB's Check a License tool: active status, the classification fits your job, the bond is current and the complaint disclosures are clean.
California construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), State of California:
| Measure | California, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 86,763 |
| Employees | 870,789 |
| Annual payroll | $73,320,822,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 10.0 |
| Average annual pay | $84,200 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 10.65% (of 814,557) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 1st |
California also ranks first by construction employment. Its average pay is about $7,600 above the national construction figure of $76,580 (our calculation from the CBP state files), but ninth among states, behind Alaska, Massachusetts and Minnesota among others.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 55,179 |
| 5 to 9 | 14,482 |
| 10 to 19 | 8,652 |
| 20 to 49 | 5,485 |
| 50 to 99 | 1,735 |
| 100 to 249 | 948 |
| 250 to 499 | 192 |
| 500 to 999 | 68 |
| 1,000 or more | 22 |
That's 78,313 establishments (90.3%) with 1 to 19 employees, 7,220 with 20 to 99 and 1,230 with 100 or more.
What CBP counts: establishments (single locations) with paid employees, not companies; a contractor with offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento counts twice. It leaves out the self-employed with no payroll, many of whom hold a CSLB license, so the license file is larger than this count.
Where California's contractors are
| Metro area | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 25,486 | 251,370 | $82,888 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 10,836 | 127,478 | $101,529 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 9,892 | 106,119 | $72,460 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 8,325 | 91,254 | $80,737 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | 6,208 | 69,506 | $86,667 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 4,177 | 52,914 | $102,925 |
| Fresno | 2,078 | 21,710 | $73,905 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | 1,287 | 14,570 | $68,400 |
The six largest metros hold 64,924 establishments, 75% of the state total. Bay Area pay runs $29,000 to $30,000 a year above the Inland Empire's, which matters if you price by labor cost or sell labor-saving tools. For the Central Valley, see the Fresno construction companies report.
What they build
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 53,834 | 582,703 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 11,686 | 126,947 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 10,162 | 120,017 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring, tile (2383) | 14,931 | 131,266 |
| Foundation, structure and exterior (2381) | 9,978 | 121,158 |
| Construction of buildings (236) | 29,852 | 207,617 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 16,792 | 71,834 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 7,230 | 33,488 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 4,373 | 78,055 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 3,077 | 80,469 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 749 | 24,421 |
| Power and communication lines (237130) | 484 | 20,247 |
Heavy and civil firms are 3.5% of establishments but average 26 employees each. Power line and solar-related work shows up twice: in the 484 power and communication line contractors, and in the state's public solar installers below.
Public companies headquartered in California
These are the SEC-registered, exchange-listed construction companies with their principal executive offices in California, ranked by revenue in their latest annual report on Form 10-K. Revenue is company-wide, not California only.
| Company | Headquarters | Main business | Revenue, latest fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| KB Home | Los Angeles | Homebuilding | $6.24 billion (year to 30 Nov 2025) |
| Tutor Perini | Sylmar | General contracting, civil and building construction | $5.54 billion (2025) |
| Granite Construction | Watsonville | Heavy civil construction and materials | $4.42 billion (2025) |
| Sunrun | San Francisco | Residential solar and battery systems | $2.96 billion (2025) |
| Legence | San Jose | Engineering, installation and maintenance of building MEP systems | $2.55 billion (2025) |
| SOLV Energy | San Diego | Utility-scale solar and storage construction | $2.49 billion (2025) |
| Shimmick | Irvine | Water and critical infrastructure | $492.8 million (year to 2 Jan 2026) |
| SolarMax Technology | Riverside | Solar installation | $91.0 million (2025) |
The large private general contractors that dominate commercial building don't publish revenue, so they're not here. Headquarters and revenue are from each company's 10-K.
Public works: a second registry
California treats anyone who bids or works on a public works project, subcontractors included, as a public works contractor, and the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) requires them to register. Workers on those projects must be paid prevailing wages, and projects of $30,000 or more must meet DIR's apprenticeship rules. DIR's public search of registered contractors is the best single list of firms that do government work, and pairing it with a CSLB lookup tells you each firm's license class.
Prospecting California contractors
- Pick the metro and the license class first. "C-20 HVAC contractors in the Inland Empire" is a list you can build; "California contractors" isn't.
- Pull names from the registries. CSLB's Find a Licensed Contractor tool lists licensed contractors by city or ZIP code; DIR's search adds public works status.
- Size the account. At the 78,313 establishments under 20 employees, the owner decides. At the 1,230 with 100 or more, go to preconstruction, procurement, safety or fleet leaders; our guide on finding decision makers explains how.
- Research the reason to call. A new public works award, a fresh license class or a new branch is a better opener than a product pitch. Across a state this size, that research is what takes the time, and Bebop does it account by account.
Illustrative example. Golden Certified and its win rates are invented; the counts come from CBP 2023.
Golden Certified (goldencertified.example) sells certified payroll software for prevailing wage jobs. Its starting pool is heavy and civil contractors (3,077 establishments) and commercial and institutional builders (4,373): 7,450 in all. If a third bid public work and register with DIR, that's about 2,480 accounts. It assigns Los Angeles and the Inland Empire (35,378 construction establishments, 41% of the state) to two reps, and the Bay Area, Sacramento and San Diego to two more. That's about 620 accounts per rep; at a 4% first-year win rate, the four add about 99 customers.
Statewide sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| CSLB Check a License and Find a Licensed Contractor | License status, classifications, bond and complaints; lists by city or ZIP |
| CSLB license classifications | Every A, B and C class and what it allows |
| DIR public works | Public works registration, prevailing wage rules and the contractor search |
| AGC of California | 900+ contractors and associates, with a membership directory and northern and southern districts |
Next step: go local with the Los Angeles construction companies report, the state's largest market.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- 2026 Contractors State License Law and Reference Book (Business and Professions Code sections 7048 and 7071.6), Contractors State License Board, 2026
- Get Licensed to Build: A Guide to Becoming a California Licensed Contractor, Contractors State License Board, October 2023, accessed 30 October 2026
- License classifications, Contractors State License Board, accessed 30 October 2026
- Public Works, California Department of Industrial Relations, accessed 30 October 2026
- KB Home Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 23 January 2026
- Tutor Perini Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 26 February 2026
- Granite Construction Incorporated Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 13 February 2026
- Sunrun Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 26 February 2026
- Legence Corp. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 30 March 2026
- SOLV Energy, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 25 March 2026
- Shimmick Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2026, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 13 March 2026
- SolarMax Technology, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 6 April 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are there in California?
The US Census Bureau counted 86,763 construction establishments with paid employees in California in 2023, employing 870,789 people. That's 10.65% of the US total and the most of any state. Establishments are locations rather than companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted, so the number of licensed contractors is larger than this figure.
Do you need a license to be a contractor in California?
Yes, for almost all paid construction work. The Contractors State License Board requires a license unless the whole project, labor and materials included, is under $1,000 and needs no building permit. The limit rose from $500 on 1 January 2025. Anyone who advertises as a contractor or employs helpers needs a license whatever the job size. Licenses require four years' experience, an exam and a $25,000 bond.
What are the largest construction companies in California?
Among public companies headquartered in California, the largest by revenue in their latest 10-K were KB Home of Los Angeles ($6.24 billion), Tutor Perini of Sylmar ($5.54 billion) and Granite Construction of Watsonville ($4.42 billion), followed by Sunrun, Legence and SOLV Energy at $2.5 billion to $3.0 billion each. Large private general contractors don't publish revenue, so they can't be ranked the same way.
How do I check a contractor's license in California?
Use the Contractors State License Board's Check a License tool and search by license number, business name or the qualifier's name. It shows whether the license is active, its classifications, the bond and workers' compensation on file and any complaint disclosures. Confirm the classification matches your job: a C-36 plumbing contractor can't take on a whole remodel the way a B general building contractor can.
Which California metro has the most construction companies?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, with 25,486 construction establishments and 251,370 employees in 2023. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont follows with 10,836, then Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (9,892), San Diego (8,325), Sacramento (6,208) and San Jose (4,177). Together those six metros hold 75% of the state's construction establishments. Average pay is highest in San Jose at $102,925.