Short answer
The Madison metro had 1,668 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 19,816 people with $1.65 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Dane County has 1,263 of them and 90% of the jobs. Average pay is $83,062. Builders were authorized to start 6,947 housing units in the metro in 2025, 5,008 of them in buildings of five or more units.
- 1,668 construction establishments and 19,816 employees in Dane, Columbia, Green and Iowa counties in 2023.
- 11.9 employees per establishment against 9.4 nationally; commercial and institutional builders average 30.
- Eight establishments have 250 or more employees, unusual for a metro this size.
- Housing units authorized rose 19% in 2025 to 6,947; 72% were in apartment buildings.
- AGC of Wisconsin is headquartered in Madison, and its Find a Contractor search covers commercial firms statewide.
On this page
This report is for property owners, developers and homeowners hiring a contractor in the Madison area, contractors looking for subcontractors, people weighing a job in construction, and B2B sellers looking at south-central Wisconsin. It sets out the Census count, the apartment-heavy permit pipeline, local directories and a prospecting plan.
Madison construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Madison, WI Metro Area (CBSA 31540):
| Measure | Madison metro, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 1,668 |
| Employees | 19,816 |
| Annual payroll | $1,645,951,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 11.9 |
| Average annual pay | $83,062 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.2% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County, Wisconsin | 1,263 | 17,824 | 14.1 |
| Columbia County, Wisconsin | 189 | 951 | 5.0 |
| Green County, Wisconsin | 138 | 630 | 4.6 |
| Iowa County, Wisconsin | 78 | 411 | 5.3 |
Dane County has 76% of establishments and 90% of construction jobs. The three rural counties are small residential builders and trades. Pay runs about $6,500 above the national construction average of $76,580 (our calculation from the CBP state files).
Bigger firms than the metro's size suggests
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,054 |
| 5 to 9 | 261 |
| 10 to 19 | 174 |
| 20 to 49 | 114 |
| 50 to 99 | 36 |
| 100 to 249 | 21 |
| 250 to 499 | 3 |
| 500 to 999 | 3 |
| 1,000 or more | 2 (derived) |
The Census Bureau doesn't publish the 1,000-or-more cell for this metro; the 2 shown is the total less the published cells. In broader bands, 1,489 establishments (89.3%) have 1 to 19 employees, 150 have 20 to 99 and 29 have 100 or more. Eight establishments with 250 or more employees is a lot for a metro of 1,668 establishments.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies, so a contractor with a Madison office and a Sun Prairie yard counts twice; it leaves out the self-employed, and employment is for the pay period including March 12, 2023.
What Madison's contractors do
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 80 | 2,408 | 30.1 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 290 | 1,500 | 5.2 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 90 | 263 | 2.9 |
| For-sale homebuilders (236117) | 33 | 319 | 9.7 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 186 | 3,543 | 19.0 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 186 | 2,446 | 13.2 |
| Concrete foundation and structure (238110) | 63 | 466 | 7.4 |
| Drywall and insulation (238310) | 47 | 634 | 13.5 |
| Roofing (238160) | 52 | 515 | 9.9 |
| Siding (238170) | 54 | 229 | 4.2 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 58 | 676 | 11.7 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 19 | 200 | 10.5 |
Commercial and institutional builders average 30 employees, against 16 nationally, and plumbing and HVAC contractors 19 against 11. Several smaller rows (multifamily builders, power and communication line contractors, finish carpenters and land subdivision) have employee totals the Census Bureau flags as high-noise, so they're not reported here.
What's being built
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 6,947 housing units authorized in the Madison metro in 2025, up 19% from 5,838 in 2024, with an estimated construction value of $1.73 billion. Of those, 1,725 were single-family homes, 214 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 5,008 were in buildings of five or more units.
That mix shapes the market. Apartment buildings are put up by general contractors with commercial-scale crews, including the metro's 11 multifamily builders and its 80 commercial builders, not the 90 small single-family contractors, and they buy concrete, framing, drywall, mechanical and electrical work in large packages.
The City of Madison publishes three permit reports: all construction permits (or only new buildings), construction permits with a job cost over $500,000, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits. Its Accela permit search finds permits by address or by contractor. The over-$500,000 report is the quickest way to see which projects are starting and who is building them.
Checking a Madison contractor
- Ask which Wisconsin credentials the firm holds for your kind of work, including those of its electrician and plumber, and confirm each with the issuing state agency.
- Search its permits in the city's Accela permit search by contractor name; a firm that builds what you want will have recent permits for it.
- Get certificates of liability and workers' compensation insurance, and confirm them with the insurer.
- Look it up in an association directory: AGC of Wisconsin's Find a Contractor tool covers commercial firms, and the Madison Area Builders Association's directory covers home builders and remodelers.
Selling to Madison contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,489 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 150 | Owner with a project manager, estimator or office manager |
| 100 or more | 29 | Preconstruction, procurement, safety and operations leaders |
The 29 large establishments matter more here than their count suggests: they build most of the apartment and institutional work and often run projects across Wisconsin from Madison. Our guide on finding decision makers covers how to reach preconstruction and procurement teams.
Illustrative example. Isthmus Formwork and its rental rates are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023 and the 2025 Building Permits Survey.
Isthmus Formwork (isthmusform.example) rents concrete forming and shoring for podium and mid-rise buildings. Its targets are the 80 commercial and institutional builders and the 63 concrete foundation contractors: 143 accounts. If 40% work on apartment buildings of five or more units, that's about 57; winning a third of them (19) at $110,000 of rentals a year each is $2.1 million. With 5,008 apartment units authorized in 2025, the research that matters is which builders have the next podium starting. Researching those builders one by one is what Bebop does from a plain-language description.
Sources for names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| City of Madison permit reports | All construction permits, permits over $500,000 and trade permits, plus the Accela permit search |
| City of Madison local business directory, construction | 135 self-registered local construction businesses with address and phone |
| AGC of Wisconsin | Commercial contractors statewide, with a member directory and Find a Contractor search |
| ABC of Wisconsin | Merit shop contractors, with a member directory (the Construction Users' Guide) |
| Madison Area Builders Association | Home builders and remodelers, with a membership directory and the Parade of Homes |
For the rest of the state, see Wisconsin construction companies.
Next step: see how to segment a contractor list by trade and size in the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Permit reports, City of Madison Development Services Center, accessed 30 October 2026
- Local businesses: construction, City of Madison Finance Department, Purchasing, accessed 30 October 2026
- AGC of Wisconsin, Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin, accessed 30 October 2026
- ABC of Wisconsin, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, accessed 30 October 2026
- Madison Area Builders Association, Madison Area Builders Association, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Madison, Wisconsin?
The US Census Bureau counted 1,668 construction establishments with paid employees in the Madison metro area in 2023, employing 19,816 people. Dane County has 1,263 of them, Columbia County 189, Green County 138 and Iowa County 78. These are locations with payroll rather than companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted.
What kind of construction is happening in Madison?
Mostly apartments. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 6,947 housing units authorized in the Madison metro in 2025, up 19% from 2024, and 5,008 of them were in buildings of five or more units. Only 1,725 were single-family homes. The City of Madison's report of construction permits over $500,000 shows which larger projects are starting.
How do I find a good contractor in Madison?
Start with the contractor's recent permits: the City of Madison's Accela permit search finds permits by contractor name. Ask which Wisconsin credentials the firm and its electrician and plumber hold, confirm them with the state, and get insurance certificates. AGC of Wisconsin's Find a Contractor tool covers commercial firms, and the Madison Area Builders Association's directory covers home builders and remodelers.
How much do construction workers make in Madison?
Average annual pay at Madison-area construction establishments was $83,062 in 2023, according to County Business Patterns, about $6,500 above the national construction average. Because it's payroll divided by headcount, the average blends estimators, project managers and office staff with field crews. Dane County, where most of the larger contractors are based, has 90% of the metro's construction jobs.