Short answer
Oklahoma had 8,966 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 78,793 people with $4.98 billion in annual payroll, according to the US Census Bureau's County Business Patterns. That's 1.1% of the US total and 29th among states. The Oklahoma City metro has 3,772 establishments and the Tulsa metro 2,498. Oklahoma has no state license for general contractors; the Construction Industries Board licenses electrical, mechanical and plumbing trades and registers roofers.
- 8,966 construction establishments and 78,793 employees in Oklahoma in 2023, 29th among states.
- The Oklahoma City and Tulsa metros hold 70% of establishments and 75% of construction jobs.
- 124 oil and gas pipeline contractors employ 5,833 people, more than all 1,297 residential building contractors (4,770).
- No establishment had 1,000 or more employees; three had 500 to 999.
- Matrix Service, long based in Tulsa, now lists Houston as its headquarters, leaving no SEC-listed construction company based in Oklahoma.
On this page
This report is for owners and developers hiring a contractor in Oklahoma, contractors looking for partners or subcontractors, and B2B sellers covering the state. It covers the statewide numbers, where the contractors are, what Oklahoma licenses and what it leaves to cities, public work, and where to find names.
Oklahoma construction by the numbers
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), State of Oklahoma:
| Measure | Oklahoma, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 8,966 |
| Employees (pay period including March 12) | 78,793 |
| Annual payroll | $4,979,114,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 8.8 |
| Average annual pay | $63,192 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 1.1% (of 814,557) |
| Rank by establishments (50 states and DC) | 29th |
Average construction pay is $13,388 below the $76,580 average across all states and ranks 48th (our calculation from the CBP state file).
Two metros hold most of the market
From the CBP 2023 county file, grouped by the Census Bureau's metro and micro area county lists:
| Area | Counties | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City metro | 7 | 3,772 | 32,650 |
| Tulsa metro | 7 | 2,498 | 26,142 |
| Lawton metro | 2 | 178 | not summed |
| Stillwater micro area | 1 | 169 | 1,413 |
| Enid metro | 1 | 126 | 1,350 |
| Muskogee micro area | 1 | 116 | 1,102 |
| Counties outside any metro or micro area | 41 | 986 | not summed |
The two big metros have 6,270 establishments (70%) and 58,792 employees (75%). Oklahoma County alone has 1,991 establishments and Tulsa County 1,593, followed by Cleveland (673) and Canadian (476), both in the Oklahoma City metro. We haven't summed employees where a county's figure carries the Census Bureau's high-noise flag. Nine more establishments are coded statewide with no county. For one metro at a time, see the Oklahoma City and Tulsa reports.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 5,615 |
| 5 to 9 | 1,512 |
| 10 to 19 | 951 |
| 20 to 49 | 636 |
| 50 to 99 | 168 |
| 100 to 249 | 70 |
| 250 to 499 | 11 |
| 500 to 999 | 3 |
| 1,000 or more | 0 |
In broader bands: 8,078 establishments (90.1%) have 1 to 19 employees, 804 have 20 to 99 and 84 have 100 or more. The Census Bureau publishes the 1,000-or-more class for Oklahoma as zero.
What CBP counts. Establishments are locations with paid employees, not companies; a pipeline contractor with a Tulsa office and an Oklahoma City yard counts twice, and crews working in Texas or Kansas are counted where their establishment is. Self-employed contractors with no payroll aren't included.
Oil, gas and the trades
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 719 | 16,515 |
| Oil and gas pipeline and related structures (237120) | 124 | 5,833 |
| Highway, street and bridge (237310) | 141 | 4,810 |
| Power and communication lines (237130) | 165 | 2,912 |
| Water and sewer lines (237110) | 169 | 2,430 |
| Construction of buildings (236) | 2,119 | 13,130 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 781 | 7,263 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 700 | 2,316 |
| New single-family home builders (236115) | 426 | 1,361 |
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 6,128 | 49,148 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 1,592 | 13,349 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 1,160 | 10,609 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 503 | 5,024 |
| Roofing (238160) | 409 | 2,252 |
Pipeline contractors average 47 employees and employ more people than all 1,297 of Oklahoma's residential building contractors combined, whose payrolls total 4,770. Commercial builders are unusually numerous: 781 establishments, 8.7% of the state total against 4.8% nationally (our calculation from the CBP state file).
What Oklahoma licenses, and what it doesn't
The Construction Industries Board (CIB) states that "General Contractors are not currently required to have a state license in Oklahoma for general contracting," and tells consumers to check with local jurisdictions for local requirements.
| Who | State requirement |
|---|---|
| General contractors and home builders | No state license; cities and counties may require registration or permits |
| Electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors | CIB trade licenses, searchable by licensee |
| Roofing contractors | CIB roofing registration, with its own search |
| Building and home inspectors | CIB licenses |
| Prime contractors on state highway jobs | ODOT prequalification, under Oklahoma Administrative Code 730:25 |
| Construction managers on state building projects | Registration with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) |
OMES publishes an unofficial list of registered construction managers; the copy online is dated 1 June 2024 and lists 74 firms, 64 of them in Oklahoma, so treat it as a starting point and confirm current status.
The public company that moved
EDGAR still lists Matrix Service Company, the industrial storage, terminal and process contractor, at a Tulsa address. Its 10-K for the year ended 30 June 2026 gives its principal executive offices as Houston, Texas, and reports $873.6 million in revenue and 2,370 employees. That leaves no SEC-registered listed construction company headquartered in Oklahoma; large private contractors don't publish revenue.
What's being permitted
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey estimates Oklahoma authorized 15,513 new housing units in 2025, up from 13,669 in 2024. Single-family units rose from 10,928 to 11,581 and units in buildings of five or more from 2,017 to 2,816.
How to vet an Oklahoma contractor
- Ask where the license is held. With no state GC license, ask which city registrations the contractor holds and confirm one with the city's permit office.
- Check the trades. Look up the electrical, mechanical or plumbing contractor in the CIB licensee search, and any roofer in the CIB roofing registration search.
- Look at past permits in the city where the job is, and call two recent clients.
- Get insurance certificates from the insurer, not the contractor, since no state license sets a minimum for general contractors.
Selling to Oklahoma contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 8,078 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 804 | Owner with an operations manager or estimator |
| 100 or more | 84 | Operations, equipment, safety, fleet and procurement leaders |
Heavy civil and pipeline contractors run large equipment fleets and crews that travel across state lines, so fleet, safety and equipment sellers find their buyers in a small number of firms. For the many small trade firms, our guide on selling to small businesses applies.
Illustrative example. The company, prices and assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Red Dirt Telematics (reddirttelematics.example) sells equipment tracking to heavy civil contractors. Its market is Oklahoma's 124 pipeline, 165 power line, 169 water and sewer and 141 highway contractors: 599 establishments. If 40% run 10 or more machines, that's about 240 accounts. Signing 15%, 36 fleets, at 25 machines each and $360 a machine a year is $324,000 in annual subscriptions. The research that matters is which contractors are bidding ODOT and utility work this season. 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 |
|---|---|
| CIB: are they licensed? | Licensed electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors and inspectors |
| CIB roofing contractor search | Registered roofing contractors |
| OMES registered construction managers (unofficial, June 2024) | Firms registered to manage state building projects |
| ODOT contractor prequalification | How highway contractors qualify, with the rules and application |
| AGC of Oklahoma | General, specialty and subcontractors statewide, with offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and a member directory |
Next step: build your list with the construction companies industry guide, or compare a larger neighbor in the Texas construction companies report.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual state data 2025 and 2024, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Construction Industries Board, State of Oklahoma, accessed 30 October 2026
- Unofficial list of registered construction managers, Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, 1 June 2024
- Contractor prequalification, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, accessed 30 October 2026
- Matrix Service Company Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 3 September 2026
- AGC of Oklahoma, Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Oklahoma?
The US Census Bureau counted 8,966 construction establishments with paid employees in Oklahoma in 2023, employing 78,793 people with $4.98 billion in payroll. That ranks 29th among states. The Oklahoma City metro had 3,772 and the Tulsa metro 2,498. Establishments are locations rather than companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted.
Do you need a license to be a general contractor in Oklahoma?
No. Oklahoma's Construction Industries Board says general contractors are not currently required to have a state license. Electrical, mechanical and plumbing contractors need CIB trade licenses, and roofing contractors must register with the CIB. Cities and counties can set their own requirements, so check with the local permit office where the work is.
How do I check an Oklahoma contractor's license?
For electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, use the Construction Industries Board's licensee search; for roofers, use the CIB roofing contractor search. General contractors hold no state license, so ask which city registrations they hold, look up their past permits with that city, and get insurance certificates directly from the insurer.
What are the biggest construction segments in Oklahoma?
By employment, plumbing and HVAC contractors are largest, with 13,349 employees at 1,592 establishments in 2023, followed by electrical contractors (10,609) and commercial and institutional builders (7,263). Oil and gas pipeline contractors are few, 124 establishments, but employ 5,833 people, more than all 1,297 residential building contractors in the state combined.