Short answer
New Jersey had 22,502 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, ninth among the states, employing 174,045 people with $14.94 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. They average just 7.7 employees, and 20,867 have fewer than 20. Bergen County has the most (2,706). Home improvement contractors must register with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and anyone working on public projects must hold a Public Works Contractor Registration.
- 22,502 construction establishments and 174,045 employees in New Jersey in 2023: 2.76% of the US total and ninth among states.
- Bergen (2,706), Monmouth (2,031) and Ocean (1,970) counties lead; Middlesex has the most employees per establishment among the big counties.
- Specialty trades are 62% of establishments; residential remodelers alone number 4,300.
- NJDOT listed 251 prequalified prime contractors on 29 October 2026, 185 of them with New Jersey addresses.
- Hovnanian Enterprises of Matawan is the largest public construction company headquartered in the state, with $2.98 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue.
On this page
- New Jersey construction in numbers
- County by county
- Trades and builders
- State registrations, and what each tells you
- Public companies headquartered in New Jersey
- What's being permitted
- Choosing a contractor in New Jersey
- Selling to New Jersey construction companies
- Sources for names
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This report is for homeowners, developers and facility managers looking for a New Jersey contractor, companies looking for subcontractors or acquisitions, job seekers, and B2B sellers planning a New Jersey territory. It covers the statewide Census count, the county split, the state's own contractor registers, the public companies and a prospecting plan.
New Jersey construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), State of New Jersey:
| Measure | New Jersey, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 22,502 |
| Employees | 174,045 |
| Annual payroll | $14,935,263,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 7.7 |
| Average annual pay | $85,813 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 2.76% (of 814,557) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 9th |
How New Jersey compares with its neighbors in the same CBP state file:
| State | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 51,349 | 371,275 | 7.2 |
| Pennsylvania | 28,752 | 260,932 | 9.1 |
| New Jersey | 22,502 | 174,045 | 7.7 |
New Jersey construction pay averages about $9,200 more than the national figure of $76,580, while its firms are smaller than the US average of 9.4 employees.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 15,519 |
| 5 to 9 | 3,493 |
| 10 to 19 | 1,855 |
| 20 to 49 | 1,105 |
| 50 to 99 | 334 |
| 100 to 249 | 143 |
| 250 to 499 | 43 |
| 500 to 999 | 7 |
| 1,000 or more | 3 |
That's 20,867 establishments (92.7%) with 1 to 19 employees, 1,439 with 20 to 99 and 196 with 100 or more.
County by county
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen | 2,706 | 19,778 | 7.3 |
| Monmouth | 2,031 | 17,931 | 8.8 |
| Ocean | 1,970 | 10,387 | 5.3 |
| Essex | 1,767 | 12,836 | 7.3 |
| Morris | 1,654 | 12,891 | 7.8 |
| Middlesex | 1,556 | 16,262 | 10.5 |
| Union | 1,519 | 11,487 | 7.6 |
| Passaic | 1,318 | 9,023 | 6.8 |
| Burlington | 1,008 | 7,369 | 7.3 |
| Camden | 1,006 | 9,313 | 9.3 |
| Somerset | 832 | 6,283 | 7.6 |
| Hudson | 806 | 5,145 | 6.4 |
The other nine counties have 4,324 establishments between them, led by Atlantic (751), Gloucester (709) and Mercer (700). The 12 counties above hold 81% of the state's construction establishments. Ocean County's 1,970 firms average 5.3 employees, many of them small residential and shore contractors; Middlesex's 10.5 reflects its larger commercial, utility and warehouse builders.
Trades and builders
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 14,029 | 113,409 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 3,454 | 30,302 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 2,641 | 25,291 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring, tile (2383) | 3,557 | 20,709 |
| Foundation, structure and exterior: concrete, masonry, roofing (2381) | 2,327 | 17,668 |
| Building construction (236) | 7,648 | 38,182 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 4,300 | 13,654 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 1,786 | 5,315 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 1,041 | 13,077 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 825 | 22,454 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 278 | 8,990 |
| Utility systems (2371) | 349 | 8,363 |
Heavy civil firms are 3.7% of establishments but 12.9% of jobs, averaging 27 employees each. Remodelers average 3.2.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies, so a contractor with offices in Edison and Cherry Hill counts twice. Self-employed contractors with no payroll are left out, and employment is for the pay period including March 12, 2023. CBP uses NAICS 2017 codes; construction is sector 23.
State registrations, and what each tells you
New Jersey has no state general contractor license, but these registers cover most active firms:
| Register | Who must be on it | What it's good for |
|---|---|---|
| Home improvement contractor registration, Division of Consumer Affairs | Home improvement contractor businesses, which must also carry general liability insurance | Vetting residential contractors; the Division fined 18 unregistered or expired firms $2,500 each in a 2025 sting |
| New home builder registration, Department of Community Affairs | Builders of new homes; the same office runs the new home warranty program | Vetting a builder before you buy or contract a new home |
| Public Works Contractor Registration, Department of Labor | All contractors and subcontractors that bid on or work on construction-related public works; $500 a year or $750 for two years | A statewide list of firms doing public work, plus a debarment list |
| NJDOT prequalification | Prime contractors bidding NJDOT projects, with an audited or reviewed financial statement | 251 prequalified heavy and highway firms, with work types |
| DPMC classification, Department of the Treasury | Contractors bidding state building projects | Firms on the active bid list for state projects, by type of work |
Public companies headquartered in New Jersey
| Company | Headquarters | Revenue, latest fiscal year | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hovnanian Enterprises (NYSE: HOV) | Matawan | $2.98 billion (year to 31 Oct 2025) | Homebuilding in 13 states; its Northeast segment includes New Jersey |
| Dream Homes & Development Corp. (OTC: DREM) | Forked River | $10.1 million (2025) | Subdivision development, coastal and modular homes, home elevation and improved lots |
Both figures are from each company's latest 10-K. Hovnanian's Northeast segment, which also covers Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, delivered 1,968 homes for $1.15 billion in housing revenue. No listed commercial or heavy civil contractor has its head office in the state.
What's being permitted
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 27,661 new housing units authorized in New Jersey in 2025, down 20.8% from 34,932 in 2024. Single-family units fell from 14,807 to 12,820 and units in buildings of five or more from 18,084 to 13,290. For town-level detail, the Department of Community Affairs' Development Trends Viewer summarizes building permit and demolition activity for every county and municipality from 2004, including alterations and nonresidential square footage.
Choosing a contractor in New Jersey
- Check the right register for the job. Home improvement work: the Consumer Affairs registration. A new home: the builder's DCA registration and warranty enrollment. Public work: the Public Works Contractor Registration list and the debarment list.
- Ask for proof of liability insurance and check that the business name on the certificate matches the registration.
- Call the township construction office for the permits the firm has pulled in your town; New Jersey permits are issued locally.
- Get references for similar jobs in your county, and visit one.
- Get a written contract with the scope, start and finish dates and the payment schedule before any deposit.
Selling to New Jersey construction companies
The public works register is the most useful list in the state for B2B sellers: every firm on it bids or works on public projects, which means prevailing wage, certified payroll and bonding. Firms that bid NJDOT work add audited financials and equipment statements.
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 20,867 | The owner, often with a spouse or office manager handling the books |
| 20 to 99 employees | 1,439 | Owner plus a controller, operations manager or chief estimator |
| 100 or more | 196 | Controllers, safety directors, equipment managers and project executives |
Illustrative example. The company and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023 and NJDOT.
Garden State Payroll Works (gspayroll.example) sells certified payroll software for prevailing wage jobs. Its first list is the 1,439 establishments with 20 to 99 employees, filtered to firms that also appear on the public works register, which it estimates at 40%, or about 575 firms. The 185 New Jersey firms on NJDOT's prequalified list are a priority group because they file certified payroll on every job. At $4,800 a year per firm, winning 10% of the 575 (58 firms) is $278,400 in annual revenue. Researching each firm's current public contracts before the first call is the slow part; Bebop does that research for every account in the list and drafts the opening email.
Sources for names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Public Works Contractor Registration | Links to the list of registered public works contractors and the debarment list |
| NJDOT prequalified contractors | Prequalified prime contractors with address, DBE and SBE status and work types |
| DPMC classification | How contractors get on the active bid list for state building projects |
| DCA Construction Reporter | Building permits, certificates of occupancy and the Development Trends Viewer by municipality |
| DCA Homeowner Protection | New home builder registration and the new home warranty program |
| Utility and Transportation Contractors Association | About 1,000 member firms in heavy, highway, utility, marine and site work |
| Choose New Jersey | Statewide economic development and investment news |
For the city across the river, see the report on construction companies in NYC.
Next step: build your New Jersey list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual state data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Public Works Contractor Registration, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, accessed 30 October 2026
- Contractor prequalification requirements and prequalified contractors, New Jersey Department of Transportation, list as of 29 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Division of Consumer Affairs' undercover enforcement operations result in notices of violations against 18 unregistered home improvement contractor businesses, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, 1 December 2025
- Homeowner Protection: builder registration and new home warranty, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, accessed 30 October 2026
- Construction Reporter, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, accessed 30 October 2026
- Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 22 December 2025
- Dream Homes & Development Corporation Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 17 April 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in New Jersey?
The US Census Bureau counted 22,502 construction establishments with paid employees in New Jersey in 2023, ninth among the states, employing 174,045 people. Bergen County had the most (2,706), followed by Monmouth (2,031) and Ocean (1,970). Establishments are locations rather than companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted, so the number of active businesses is higher.
Do you need a license to be a contractor in New Jersey?
New Jersey doesn't issue a general contractor license, but most contractors must register. Home improvement contractor businesses register with the Division of Consumer Affairs and carry liability insurance, new home builders register with the Department of Community Affairs, and every contractor or subcontractor on a construction-related public works project needs a Public Works Contractor Registration from the Department of Labor.
How do I check if a New Jersey contractor is registered?
For home improvement work, check the contractor's registration with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and ask for its insurance certificate. For a new home, check the builder's registration and warranty enrollment with the Department of Community Affairs. For public projects, use the Department of Labor's list of registered public works contractors and its debarment list.
What are the largest construction companies in New Jersey?
Among public companies, the largest construction business headquartered in New Jersey is Hovnanian Enterprises of Matawan, a homebuilder with $2.98 billion in revenue for the year to 31 October 2025, according to its 10-K. Large private commercial and heavy civil contractors don't publish revenue. NJDOT's prequalified list names 251 heavy and highway firms, 185 of them based in New Jersey.
Which New Jersey county has the most construction companies?
Bergen County, with 2,706 construction establishments and 19,778 employees in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. Monmouth (2,031) and Ocean (1,970) follow, then Essex (1,767) and Morris (1,654). Middlesex County has fewer establishments (1,556) but more employees than any county except Bergen and Monmouth, averaging 10.5 per establishment, the highest of the large counties.