Short answer
The Knoxville, TN metro had 1,815 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 22,457 people with $1.50 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Knox County has 1,081 of them and Blount County 295. Knox County permitted a record 5,822 housing units in 2025, 3,519 of them in multi-unit buildings, plus a record $554.1 million of new non-residential construction, according to Knoxville-Knox County Planning.
- 1,815 construction establishments and 22,457 employees in the Knoxville metro in 2023, with average pay of $66,611.
- Knox County holds 59.6% of establishments; Blount County's average 16.9 employees each, the largest in the metro.
- Site preparation contractors are 8.0% of establishments, against 5.1% nationally.
- Knox County permitted a record 5,822 housing units in 2025, but detached houses fell 20% to 1,625.
- 1,905 new residential lots were created in Knox County in 2025, the most since before the Great Recession.
On this page
This report is for anyone looking for or sizing up construction companies in the Knoxville area: homeowners and businesses hiring a contractor, builders looking for trade partners, people looking for construction jobs, and B2B sellers covering East Tennessee.
Knoxville construction at a glance
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Knoxville, TN Metro Area (CBSA 28940):
| Measure | Knoxville metro, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 1,815 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 22,457 |
| Annual payroll | $1,495,892,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 12.4 |
| Average annual pay | $66,611 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.22% (of 814,557) |
Establishments here are larger than the US average of 9.4 employees, but pay is lower: $66,611 against about $76,580 across all US construction establishments in the same data. CBP counts establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies, and doesn't include self-employed contractors without staff.
Nine counties, one center
| County | Establishments | Employees | Average size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 1,081 | 13,646 | 12.6 |
| Blount County | 295 | 4,985 | 16.9 |
| Anderson County | 122 | 1,815 | 14.9 |
| Loudon County | 104 | 609 | 5.9 |
| Roane County | 77 | 439 | 5.7 |
| Campbell County | 57 | 447 | 7.8 |
| Grainger County | 38 | 256 | 6.7 |
| Union County | 32 | 141 | 4.4 |
The table shows the eight largest of the metro's nine counties, 1,806 of its 1,815 establishments. Blount County, home to Maryville and Alcoa, and Anderson County, home to Oak Ridge, have fewer contractors than Knox but larger ones on average.
What the trades look like
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Share of establishments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 1,161 | 16,350 | 64.0% |
| Electrical, plumbing and HVAC (2382) | 476 | 6,974 | 26.2% |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 275 | 3,649 | 15.2% |
| Site preparation (238910) | 145 | 2,197 | 8.0% |
| All other specialty trades (238990) | 76 | 2,849 | 4.2% |
| Building construction (236) | 556 | 4,187 | 30.6% |
| Single-family homes for clients and on owned lots (236115) | 138 | 604 | 7.6% |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 255 | 1,222 | 14.0% |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 100 | 1,827 | 5.5% |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 98 | 1,920 | 5.4% |
Two numbers stand out. Site preparation, the excavating and grading firms that clear lots and cut roads, is 8.0% of establishments against 5.1% nationally, which fits a county turning large tracts into subdivisions. And the 76 firms in "all other specialty trades" employ 2,849 people, an average of 37.5; the Census Bureau flags that employee figure as moderate noise (changed by 2% to 5% for confidentiality).
Size. 1,577 establishments (86.9%) have 1 to 19 employees, 206 (11.3%) have 20 to 99 and 32 (1.8%) have 100 or more. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the 500 to 999 or 1,000-or-more cells for this metro; the 100-or-more total is the remainder after the smaller bands, which leaves 3 establishments with 500 or more employees.
Knox County's 2025 building year
Knoxville-Knox County Planning collects permit data from the City of Knoxville, Knox County and the Town of Farragut and publishes it in an annual Development Activity Report. For 2025:
| Measure | Knox County, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Housing units permitted | 5,822 (a record) |
| Of which multi-unit | 3,519 (up 17%) |
| Of which detached | 1,625 (down 20%, the lowest since 2018) |
| New residential construction value | $1,361.3 million |
| New non-residential construction value | $554.1 million (a record) |
| Renovations, residential and non-residential | $181.6 million and $285.4 million |
| New residential lots created | 1,905 |
| Rezoning cases approved | 141 |
Most of the housing went up outside city limits: unincorporated Knox County permitted 3,737 housing units, the City of Knoxville 1,962 and Farragut 123. The report names the year's largest projects, including Icon Apartments (307 units, $71.3 million), Legends at Hardin Valley (220 units, $66.1 million), The Sheldon (265 units, $53.7 million), a $41.6 million UPS warehouse hub renovation and addition, and a $43.5 million elementary school in Farragut. Its biggest non-residential item, a $142.8 million parking garage at McGhee Tyson Airport, sits in Blount County but is overseen by the City of Knoxville.
Licensing checks in Tennessee
Contractors in Tennessee are licensed by the state's Board for Licensing Contractors, by classification, and the state's public license search confirms whether a license is active. Knox County Codes adds two rules worth knowing: plumbers on projects under $25,000 must hold a Limited Licensed Plumber license unless exempt (T.C.A. 62-6-402), and commercial plans must carry the stamp of a Tennessee-licensed architect or engineer. Homeowners building for themselves file a homeowner permit affidavit. Inside city limits, the City of Knoxville issues permits instead of the county.
Choosing a Knoxville contractor
- Confirm the license in the state search and check that the classification covers your job.
- Ask which office will issue the permit (city, county or Farragut) and for recent permit numbers there; Knox County's inspection lookup shows the history.
- Ask for references from the last two years on work like yours, and visit one site.
- Get insurance certificates and a written schedule with payments tied to completed inspections.
Prospecting Knoxville contractors
The metro is small enough to cover completely: 1,815 establishments, of which 238 have 20 or more employees. Owners make nearly every buying decision at the other 1,577. Two public records tell you where to start:
- New lots. The 1,905 residential lots created in 2025 show which developers and site contractors are busy now, and which builders will be pulling permits next. Most of the new lots were in the county's northwest (571) and northeast (422) planning sectors.
- Multifamily projects. Each project in the Development Activity Report has a general contractor, and each general contractor needs framers, drywall, electrical and HVAC subcontractors.
Illustrative example. The lender, rates and assumptions are invented; the counts are CBP 2023.
Smoky Ridge Equipment Finance (smokyridge.example) lends against excavators, dozers and compact track loaders. Its prospects are the metro's 145 site preparation contractors, 43 utility system contractors, 26 road contractors and 53 concrete contractors: 267 establishments. It assumes 60% finance at least one machine a year at an average of $180,000, which is $28.8 million in annual originations across 160 borrowers. Winning 10% of them, 16 accounts, is $2.9 million of loans a year. Spotting which contractor just won a subdivision is the slow part; Bebop researches each company and suggests the opening angle. For the first email, see how to write a cold email.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Knoxville-Knox County Planning data | Development Activity Reports since 1999, with permits, projects, lots and rezonings |
| Knox County Codes | Permit portal, inspection lookup and construction permit reports for the unincorporated county |
| Tennessee license verification | The state's public license search |
| AGC East Tennessee member directory | General and specialty contractors, suppliers and service providers; about 240 member organizations |
| Knoxville Chamber directory | Investors in the economic development organization for Knoxville and Knox County |
| Census Building Permits Survey | Metro housing permits: 7,830 units in 2025, up from 7,001 in 2024 |
No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the Knoxville metro. For Middle Tennessee, see Nashville construction companies.
Next step: turn these segments into a list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- 2025 Development Activity Report, Knoxville-Knox County Planning, 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Limited Licensed Plumber, Knox County Codes Administration, accessed 30 October 2026
- Permit information, Knox County Codes Administration, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data for 2025 (cbsa2512y), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- AGC East Tennessee, Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee, accessed 30 October 2026
- Knoxville Chamber, Knoxville Chamber, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Knoxville, TN?
The US Census Bureau counted 1,815 construction establishments with paid employees in the Knoxville metro area in 2023, employing 22,457 people. Knox County had 1,081 of them, Blount County 295 and Anderson County 122. The count is of locations, not companies, and it excludes self-employed contractors with no employees, so the number of businesses doing construction work is higher.
How much construction is happening in Knox County?
Knoxville-Knox County Planning reports 5,822 housing units permitted in Knox County in 2025, a record, including 3,519 in multi-unit buildings and 1,625 detached houses. New residential construction was valued at $1.36 billion and new non-residential construction at a record $554.1 million, and 1,905 new residential lots were created, the most since before the Great Recession.
How do I check a contractor's license in Knoxville?
Use the State of Tennessee's public license verification search to confirm the contractor's license is active and covers the type of work. Then ask which office will issue the permit (the City of Knoxville, Knox County or the Town of Farragut) and check recent permits there. For small plumbing jobs under $25,000, the plumber needs a Limited Licensed Plumber license.
What are the largest construction projects in Knoxville?
Knoxville-Knox County Planning's 2025 Development Activity Report highlights Icon Apartments (307 units, $71.3 million), Legends at Hardin Valley (220 units, $66.1 million), The Sheldon (265 units, $53.7 million), a $41.6 million UPS warehouse hub and a $43.5 million Farragut elementary school. A $142.8 million McGhee Tyson Airport parking garage, in Blount County, was overseen by the City of Knoxville.