Short answer
The Rochester, NY metro had 2,573 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 21,435 people with $1.62 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Monroe County has 1,713 of them. Most are small: 2,360 have fewer than 20 employees and 30 have 100 or more. Permits for new single-family homes in the metro rose from 917 in 2024 to 1,251 in 2025.
- 2,573 construction establishments and 21,435 employees across five counties in 2023, 8.3 employees per establishment on average.
- Monroe County holds 1,713; Ontario has 329 and Wayne 281.
- Residential builders are 28.6% of establishments, including 574 remodelers; masonry contractors number 122.
- Single-family permits rose 36.4% in 2025 while apartment units fell from 724 to 404.
- Contractors on New York public work must be on the state's Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry.
On this page
This report covers Rochester, New York (Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston and Orleans counties), not Rochester, Minnesota. It's for homeowners and businesses hiring a contractor, firms looking for subcontractors, job seekers, and B2B sellers whose customers are builders and trades.
Rochester's construction market
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Rochester, NY Metro Area (CBSA 40380):
| Measure | Metro Rochester, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 2,573 |
| Employees | 21,435 |
| Annual payroll | $1,617,188,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 8.3 |
| Average annual pay | $75,446 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.32% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County, New York | 1,713 | 14,809 | 8.6 |
| Ontario County, New York | 329 | 3,565 | 10.8 |
| Wayne County, New York | 281 | 1,300 | 4.6 |
| Livingston County, New York | 151 | 1,345 | 8.9 |
| Orleans County, New York | 99 | 416 | 4.2 |
Monroe County has two-thirds of the metro's contractors. Ontario County's run larger on average, 10.8 employees, than Monroe's. The metro is 5.0% of New York State's 51,349 construction establishments.
Mostly small firms
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,768 |
| 5 to 9 | 377 |
| 10 to 19 | 215 |
| 20 to 49 | 138 |
| 50 to 99 | 45 |
| 100 to 249 | 26 |
| 250 or more | Not published |
That's 2,360 establishments (91.7%) with 1 to 19 employees, 183 with 20 to 99 and 30 with 100 or more. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the 250-plus classes for the metro; by subtraction, 4 establishments have 250 or more.
The trades
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 1,625 | 14,677 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 286 | 4,673 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 224 | 3,395 |
| Building finishing (2383) | 450 | 2,602 |
| Masonry (238140) | 122 | 481 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 119 | 955 |
| Roofing (238160) | 72 | 584 |
| Siding (238170) | 59 | 338 |
| Building construction (236) | 849 | 5,013 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 574 | 1,722 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 119 | 445 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 108 | 1,964 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 99 | 1,745 |
Mechanical and electrical contractors are where the larger employers are: plumbing and HVAC firms average 16.3 employees and electrical contractors 15.2, against 3.0 for remodelers and 3.9 for masons. Commercial and institutional builders average 18.2.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies; a contractor with offices in Henrietta and Greece counts twice. It leaves out self-employed contractors with no payroll, a large group among remodelers and masons, and employment is for the pay period including March 12, 2023.
A housing rebound in 2025
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey for the metro:
| New housing units authorized | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family | 917 | 1,251 |
| 2 to 4 units | 160 | 95 |
| 5 or more units | 724 | 404 |
| Total | 1,801 | 1,750 |
Total units barely changed, but single-family homes rose 36.4% while apartments fell by 44%. That shift moves work toward the residential trades (site preparation, foundations, framing, roofing, siding) and away from the larger multifamily contractors.
Public work: the state registry
New York requires every contractor and subcontractor that bids on or performs construction on public work, or on private projects covered by Article 8 of the Labor Law (such as some publicly subsidized, renewable energy and broadband projects), to register with the Department of Labor under Labor Law Section 220-i. Contractors must check that their subcontractors are registered, and since 31 December 2025 contractors on covered projects file certified payroll through the department's portal. The registry has a public dashboard, which makes it a statewide list of firms doing public work.
For road and bridge work, NYSDOT publishes its upcoming highway lettings and contract numbers, and the Department of Labor publishes debarment information for firms barred from public work.
How to vet a Rochester-area contractor
- Ask the building department in the city, town or village where the work is what license or registration it requires, and whether the contractor holds it and has pulled permits there before.
- For public or subsidized projects, confirm the firm is on the Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry and isn't on the debarment list.
- Get certificates of insurance, including workers' compensation, before work starts.
- Ask for references from jobs in the same county in the last two years; for masonry and roofing, look at a finished job.
- Get a written contract with the price, schedule and payment terms.
Public companies
SEC records show no listed construction company with a business address in the five-county Rochester metro, so there are no annual reports to rank local contractors by.
Selling to Rochester construction companies
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 2,360 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 183 | Owner with an operations manager, estimator or office manager |
| 100 or more | 30 | Operations, safety, purchasing and service leaders |
With about 2,500 establishments, the metro is small enough for one rep to research account by account. The 213 establishments with 20 or more employees are the core for software, fleet and staffing offers; the many small residential firms buy materials and tools through distributors and supply yards. For a repeatable outreach process, see the outbound sales process guide.
Illustrative example. The company and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Genesee Block and Stone (geneseeblock.example) supplies masonry units and hardscape materials. Its targets are masonry contractors (122 establishments), poured concrete contractors (25) and single-family builders (119 general contractors and 33 for-sale builders): 299 in all. If 45% buy enough to justify a trade account, that's about 135 accounts. At $40,000 a year each, winning 15% (20 accounts) is $800,000 in annual sales. Single-family permits are the timing signal; Bebop finds contractors that match a description like this and researches each one.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry | Registration rules and a public dashboard of registered contractors |
| NYS Bureau of Public Work | Prevailing wage schedules and debarment information |
| NYSDOT highway lettings | Upcoming state highway contracts by letting date |
| ABC Empire State Chapter | Merit shop contractors, with a branch office in Rochester |
| Rochester Home Builders' Association | Builders, remodelers and suppliers |
| Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce | Regional business network and member companies |
| Greater Rochester Enterprise | Regional economic development and company expansion news |
For the neighboring market to the west, see Buffalo construction companies; for downstate, see NYC construction companies.
Next step: build the list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual metro area data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry, New York State Department of Labor, accessed 30 October 2026
- Bureau of Public Work and Prevailing Wage Enforcement, New York State Department of Labor, accessed 30 October 2026
- Construction Opportunities: Highway Lettings, New York State Department of Transportation, accessed 30 October 2026
- Associated Builders and Contractors Empire State Chapter, ABC Empire State Chapter, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Rochester, NY?
The US Census Bureau counted 2,573 construction establishments with paid employees in the Rochester, New York metro area in 2023, employing 21,435 people. Monroe County had 1,713, Ontario 329, Wayne 281, Livingston 151 and Orleans 99. These are locations with payroll, not companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted, so the number of active businesses is higher.
Is home building growing in Rochester?
Single-family building rose in 2025. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows 1,251 single-family homes authorized in the Rochester metro in 2025, up from 917 in 2024, an increase of 36.4%. Apartment permits fell, from 724 units in buildings of five or more to 404, so total housing units were roughly flat at 1,750 against 1,801.
How do I check a contractor in Rochester, NY?
Start with the building department of the city, town or village where the work is: ask what license or registration it requires and whether the contractor has pulled permits there. For public or subsidized projects, check New York's Public Work Contractor and Subcontractor Registry and the Department of Labor's debarment information. Always get insurance certificates, including workers' compensation, and recent references.
What is the New York public work contractor registry?
Under Labor Law Section 220-i, every contractor and subcontractor that bids on or performs construction on public work, or on certain private projects covered by Article 8 of the Labor Law, must register with the New York State Department of Labor. Contractors must verify their subcontractors are registered, and since 31 December 2025 must file certified payroll through the department's portal.
What are the biggest construction companies in Rochester?
No listed construction contractor has its business address in the Rochester metro, so there are no public revenue figures to rank local firms. Census data shows 30 construction establishments with 100 or more employees in the metro and, by subtraction from published size classes, 4 with 250 or more. Association member lists and public work records are the best public guides to the larger firms.