Short answer
San Francisco had 1,795 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 23,680 people with $2.48 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Average pay was $104,879. Just 120 commercial and institutional builders employ a third of the workforce. In California, any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any job needing a permit, requires a Contractors State License Board license; check it online before you sign.
- 1,795 construction establishments and 23,680 employees in the City and County of San Francisco in 2023.
- Average construction pay is $104,879, about $28,300 above the national figure.
- 120 commercial and institutional builders employ 7,718 people, an average of 64 each.
- The city issued 24,890 building permits in 2025: 22,949 over-the-counter alterations and 55 for new construction.
- Sunrun, the residential solar installer, is the listed construction company headquartered in the city, with $2.96 billion in 2025 revenue.
On this page
- San Francisco construction in numbers
- A few large builders and many small firms
- What San Francisco contractors do
- A city of alterations
- California's license rules
- How to choose a San Francisco contractor
- The public company headquartered here
- Selling to San Francisco construction companies
- Where to find names
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This report is for homeowners, landlords and businesses hiring a contractor in San Francisco, contractors looking for partners, job seekers, and B2B sellers who sell to builders and trades. It covers the Census count, what the city's permit data shows, California's license rules, the public company based here and a prospecting plan.
San Francisco construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), San Francisco County, California (the same area as the city):
| Measure | San Francisco, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 1,795 |
| Employees | 23,680 |
| Annual payroll | $2,483,531,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 13.2 |
| Average annual pay | $104,879 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.22% (of 814,557) |
California as a whole had 86,763 construction establishments, the most of any state, so San Francisco is 2.1% of the state's contractors. Its average construction pay is 37% above the national figure of $76,580; among counties with 1,000 or more construction establishments, only Manhattan (New York County) and Boston's Suffolk County pay more.
A few large builders and many small firms
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,117 |
| 5 to 9 | 313 |
| 10 to 19 | 175 |
| 20 to 49 | 110 |
| 50 to 99 | 48 |
| 100 to 249 | 22 |
| 250 to 499 | 6 |
| 500 to 999 | 3 |
| 1,000 or more | 1 |
That's 1,605 establishments (89.4%) with 1 to 19 employees, 158 with 20 to 99 and 32 with 100 or more, ten of them with 250 or more.
What San Francisco contractors do
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Building construction (236) | 892 | 12,408 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 120 | 7,718 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 534 | 2,648 |
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 831 | 9,989 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 176 | 3,775 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring (2383) | 276 | 1,727 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 162 | 1,175 |
| Foundation, structure and exterior (2381) | 149 | 2,130 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 72 | 1,283 |
Two things stand out. Building contractors outnumber specialty trades, the reverse of almost every other US market, because so much of the work is general remodeling and tenant improvement. And the 120 commercial and institutional builders employ 33% of the city's construction workforce, averaging 64 employees each: the general contractors behind office, lab, hospital and institutional projects keep large staffs here. Electrical contractors average 21.4 employees, plumbing and HVAC firms 7.3.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies, in NAICS 23. One-person firms with no payroll are left out, and the employee figures cover the pay period including March 12, 2023. Contractors based in Oakland, San Mateo or elsewhere that work in the city are counted where they're based, so the firms working in San Francisco are a larger group than the 1,795 based here.
A city of alterations
The Department of Building Inspection's permit data, published on the city's open data portal, shows what the work is. Building permits issued in calendar 2025:
| Permit type | Permits, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Over-the-counter alterations | 22,949 |
| Additions, alterations or repairs (plan review) | 1,168 |
| Signs | 538 |
| New construction (wood frame and other) | 55 |
| Demolitions | 47 |
| All building permits, including 133 of other or unrecorded types | 24,890 |
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey tells the same story for housing: 1,444 new units authorized in San Francisco County in 2025, almost all of them (1,394) in buildings of five or more units, and only 20 single-family homes. For contractors and their suppliers, the market is renovation, tenant improvements, seismic and life safety upgrades, and the occasional large multifamily project.
California's license rules
California requires a Contractors State License Board (CSLB) license for anyone who contracts for work valued at $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials, uses employees, or does a project that requires a building permit. CSLB licenses contractors in 45 classifications:
| If the job is | Look for |
|---|---|
| A remodel with more than two trades, such as a kitchen with plumbing, electrical and carpentry | "B" General Building contractor |
| A residential remodel | "B" or "B-2" Residential Remodeling contractor |
| One trade, such as electrical, roofing or painting | The matching "C" specialty, such as C-10 Electrical or C-39 Roofing |
Every licensed contractor must carry a $25,000 contractor license bond. Concrete (C-8), HVAC (C-20), asbestos abatement (C-22), roofing (C-39) and tree service contractors must carry workers' compensation insurance even with no employees, and the license lookup shows whether they do.
How to choose a San Francisco contractor
- Check the license in CSLB's online license check: status, classification, bond and workers' compensation.
- Match the class to the job using the table above; a specialty contractor shouldn't be running a multi-trade remodel.
- Search the firm's permit history in the city's open data to see recent jobs, permit types and stated costs.
- Ask how the permit will be filed: over the counter or through plan review, which affects how long approval takes.
- Get a written contract that states the price, the payment schedule and both types of insurance, as CSLB advises.
The public company headquartered here
| Company | Headquarters | Revenue, 2025 | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrun Inc. (Nasdaq: RUN) | 600 California Street, San Francisco | $2.96 billion | Residential solar and battery installation and service |
Sunrun's 10-K for 2025 reports revenue up 45% from $2.04 billion and about 9,059 full-time employees nationwide, including its direct-to-home salesforce. The SEC classifies it under SIC 1700, special trade contractors. No listed general building or heavy civil contractor has its head office in the city.
Selling to San Francisco construction companies
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,605 | The owner, who is also the license's qualifier |
| 20 to 99 employees | 158 | Owner with a project executive, operations manager or controller |
| 100 or more | 32 | Preconstruction, procurement, safety, risk and IT leaders |
Sellers to large commercial builders should expect formal procurement and safety prequalification; sellers to remodelers are selling to an owner who is on a job site most of the day. Permit filings are the timing signal for both. For ways to reach owners who don't answer email, see the cold calling scripts.
Illustrative example. The broker and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Golden Gate Risk (goldengaterisk.example) places builder's risk and contractor liability insurance. Its first list is the 120 commercial and institutional builders and the 176 electrical contractors based in the city: 296 establishments. It drops the 50 or so largest, which use national brokers, leaving about 246. If each placement earns $22,000 a year in commission and the broker wins 6% in its first year (15 accounts), that's $330,000. Which firms have just filed plan-review permits for larger jobs decides who gets the first call; Bebop researches each firm on a list like this and suggests the opening angle.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| CSLB license check | License status, classifications, bond and workers' compensation for any California contractor |
| CSLB license classifications | What each A, B and C license allows |
| San Francisco building permits | Every permit with type, description, estimated and revised cost and status |
| AGC of California | Commercial and heavy contractors statewide |
| ABC Northern California | Merit shop commercial contractors |
| San Francisco Chamber of Commerce | Local business network and member directory |
Next step: see the San Francisco tech companies report if your buyers are the tenants, or use the construction companies industry guide to build a contractor list.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits, City and County of San Francisco, Department of Building Inspection (DataSF), accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual county data 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- What Type of Contractor Do You Need?, Contractors State License Board, accessed 30 October 2026
- How Do I Find the Right Licensed Contractor?, Contractors State License Board, accessed 30 October 2026
- Licensing Classifications, Contractors State License Board, accessed 30 October 2026
- Sunrun Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 26 February 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in San Francisco?
The US Census Bureau counted 1,795 construction establishments with paid employees in San Francisco in 2023, employing 23,680 people at an average annual pay of $104,879. That counts locations with payroll, not companies, and leaves out self-employed contractors. Many contractors that work in the city are based elsewhere in the Bay Area and are counted where they're based.
Do I need a licensed contractor in California?
Yes, for most jobs. The Contractors State License Board says anyone who contracts for work valued at $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials, uses employees, or does a project that requires a building permit must hold a current CSLB license. Licensed contractors carry a $25,000 license bond, and you can check the license, bond and workers' compensation status online.
What license does a remodeling contractor need in California?
For a remodel that involves more than two trades, such as a kitchen with plumbing, electrical and carpentry under one contract, CSLB advises hiring a 'B' General Building contractor. The 'B-2' Residential Remodeling classification covers residential remodels. For a single trade, such as roofing or electrical work, hire a contractor with the matching 'C' specialty license, such as C-39 or C-10.
How much new construction is there in San Francisco?
Very little compared with renovation. The city issued 24,890 building permits in 2025, and 55 were for new construction, while 22,949 were over-the-counter alterations. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 1,444 new housing units authorized in San Francisco County in 2025, 1,394 of them in buildings of five or more units and 20 single-family homes.
What are the largest construction companies in San Francisco?
The listed construction company headquartered in San Francisco is Sunrun, a residential solar installer with $2.96 billion in revenue in 2025, according to its 10-K. Large general contractors with San Francisco offices are private or based elsewhere, so they don't publish city revenue. Census data shows 32 construction establishments in the city with 100 or more employees, including one with 1,000 or more.