Short answer
The Colorado Springs metro had 2,129 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 15,769 people with $1.06 billion in annual payroll, according to the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns. El Paso County has 1,997 of them and Teller County 132. Most are small: 1,957 have fewer than 20 employees. Federal agencies obligated $372 million for construction performed in El Paso County in fiscal 2025, almost all of it Defense Department work.
- 2,129 construction establishments and 15,769 employees in El Paso and Teller counties in 2023.
- Only 13 establishments have 100 or more employees; the Census Bureau withholds the size of the largest.
- Specialty trades are 68% of establishments; plumbing and HVAC (270) and electrical (222) lead.
- Federal construction obligations in El Paso County were $372.3 million in fiscal 2025, 99.7% from the Defense Department.
- Apartment permits more than tripled in 2025, to 2,804 units in buildings of five or more.
On this page
This report is for property owners hiring in the Pikes Peak region, contractors chasing federal or multifamily work, and B2B sellers whose customers are Colorado Springs builders and trades. It covers the Census count, the federal contract record, permits, vetting and where to find names.
Colorado Springs construction in Census data
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Colorado Springs, CO Metro Area (CBSA 17820):
| Measure | Metro Colorado Springs, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 2,129 |
| Employees (pay period including March 12) | 15,769 |
| Annual payroll | $1,055,569,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 7.4 |
| Average annual pay | $66,940 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.26% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| El Paso County | 1,997 | 15,370 |
| Teller County | 132 | 399 |
Colorado Springs contractors are smaller and lower-paid than the national figures of 9.4 employees and $76,580 a year (our calculation from the CBP state file). Average pay ranks 98th of the 135 metros with at least 1,000 construction establishments.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,421 |
| 5 to 9 | 353 |
| 10 to 19 | 183 |
| 20 to 49 | 116 |
| 50 to 99 | 43 |
| 100 to 249 | 12 |
| 250 to 499 | not published |
| 500 to 999 | not published |
| 1,000 or more | not published |
In broader bands: 1,957 establishments (91.9%) have 1 to 19 employees, 159 have 20 to 99 and 13 have 100 or more. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the three largest size classes here, to avoid identifying an employer; by subtraction, one establishment has 250 or more employees.
What CBP counts. Establishments are locations with paid employees, not companies, and self-employed contractors with no payroll are left out. Contractors based in Denver or out of state that work on local jobs are counted where their establishment is, not here. No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the metro.
What they build
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 1,444 | 10,185 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 270 | 2,372 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 222 | 1,904 |
| Roofing (238160) | 113 | 523 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 106 | 881 |
| Building finishing trades (2383) | 358 | 1,552 |
| Construction of buildings (236) | 597 | 4,271 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 317 | 1,122 |
| New single-family home builders (236115) | 129 | 399 |
| For-sale homebuilders (236117) | 37 | 658 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 100 | 1,897 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 88 | 1,313 |
The 100 commercial and institutional builders average 19 employees, more than twice the metro average. The 37 for-sale homebuilders average 17.8 employees; the 129 custom and contract home builders average 3.1.
The federal construction pipeline
USAspending.gov, the federal spending database, shows $372.3 million in net contract obligations in fiscal 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025) for construction work (NAICS 23) performed in El Paso County. The Department of Defense accounted for $371.1 million of it. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC says the region hosts five military installations plus the National Guard.
| Contractor (as named in federal records) | FY2025 obligations, El Paso County construction |
|---|---|
| J.E. Dunn Construction Company | $143.4 million |
| Olgoonik Enterprises, LLC | $56.7 million |
| Goshawk, LLC | $24.3 million |
| G2I JBI LLC | $20.1 million |
| Native American Services Corp. | $19.5 million |
Obligations are net of any deobligations and are recorded when funds are committed, not when work is done. Primes on jobs this size usually buy much of the trade work from subcontractors, so the list is also a map of who is buying, not just who is building.
Housing permits: apartments jump
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey estimates the metro authorized 5,825 new housing units in 2025, up from 3,994 in 2024. Single-family units were flat (2,839 against 2,878), while units in buildings of five or more rose from 872 to 2,804. Framing, drywall, mechanical and electrical subcontractors that can staff multifamily jobs have more work to bid; custom home builders don't.
Checking a Colorado Springs contractor
- Confirm the local license and permit history. For building questions El Paso County refers people to the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, (719) 327-2880; ask it to confirm the contractor's license and recent permits.
- For electrical and plumbing work, check that the people doing it hold Colorado state trade licenses.
- For federal work, check the firm's registration and past awards on USAspending and SAM.gov.
- Get insurance certificates, call the insurer, and ask for two references on similar jobs.
Selling to Colorado Springs contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,957 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 159 | Owner with a project manager or office manager |
| 100 or more | 13 | Project executives, safety and procurement leads |
With only 172 establishments of 20 or more employees, this market rewards depth over breadth: research each mid-size firm and the federal and multifamily jobs it is on. Our guide on selling to small businesses covers the owner-led buying in the rest.
Illustrative example. The firm, fees and assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Front Range Compliance (frontrangecompliance.example) helps subcontractors register for federal work and run certified payroll. Its targets are the metro's 183 establishments with 10 to 19 employees and 159 with 20 to 99: 342 in all. If 30% chase subcontracts on federal jobs, that's about 103 firms. Signing a fifth of them, 21 clients, at $9,000 a year each is $189,000 in annual fees. The research that matters is which trades already work for the primes in the table above. Bebop finds contractors that match a description like that and writes a playbook for each one.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| USAspending.gov award search | Federal construction awards by place of performance, with recipients and amounts |
| CDOT prequalified contractors | General contractors prequalified for state highway work, with work codes and bid limits |
| CDOT plan holders lists | Primes and subcontractors pricing each advertised CDOT project |
| Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs | Builders, trade contractors and suppliers since 1950, with a find-a-professional directory |
| El Paso County planning projects | Development applications in unincorporated El Paso County, searchable by year, type or address |
| Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC | Business directory and regional economic data |
CDOT requires general contractors, but not subcontractors, to be prequalified before they bid, with applications due 17 days before the bid date.
Next step: compare the state's largest construction market in the Denver construction companies report, or see the statewide Colorado report.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual metro area data 2025 and 2024, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Award search: contracts, NAICS 23, place of performance El Paso County, Colorado, fiscal year 2025, USAspending.gov (US Department of the Treasury), queried 30 October 2026
- Defense development, Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, accessed 30 October 2026
- Bidding, Colorado Department of Transportation, accessed 30 October 2026
- Planning and Community Development, El Paso County, Colorado, accessed 30 October 2026
- Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs, CSHBA, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Colorado Springs?
The US Census Bureau counted 2,129 construction establishments with paid employees in the Colorado Springs metro area in 2023, employing 15,769 people with $1.06 billion in payroll. El Paso County had 1,997 and Teller County 132. These are locations rather than companies, and self-employed contractors without employees aren't counted.
Who are the biggest federal construction contractors in Colorado Springs?
In fiscal 2025, federal records on USAspending.gov show J.E. Dunn Construction Company with the largest construction obligations performed in El Paso County, $143.4 million, followed by Olgoonik Enterprises ($56.7 million), Goshawk ($24.3 million), G2I JBI ($20.1 million) and Native American Services Corp. ($19.5 million). Total federal construction obligations in the county were $372.3 million.
How big are construction companies in Colorado Springs?
Mostly small. In 2023, 1,421 of the metro's 2,129 construction establishments had fewer than five employees and 1,957 had fewer than 20. Only 13 had 100 or more, and the Census Bureau doesn't publish the largest size classes. The average was 7.4 employees per establishment, against 9.4 nationally.
How many homes are being built in Colorado Springs?
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey estimates 5,825 new housing units were authorized in the Colorado Springs metro in 2025, up from 3,994 in 2024. Single-family units were about flat at 2,839, while units in buildings with five or more units more than tripled, from 872 to 2,804.