Short answer
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro had 13,610 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 130,233 people with $11.51 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. King County has 6,775 of them. Average pay is $88,380. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, with a $30,000 bond for general contractors or $15,000 for specialty contractors, plus liability insurance.
- 13,610 construction establishments and 130,233 employees across King, Snohomish and Pierce counties in 2023.
- Residential builders and remodelers are a third of establishments (4,535); building finishing contractors are the largest trade group (2,959).
- Average construction pay is $88,380, about $11,800 above the national figure.
- Every Washington contractor registers with L&I as general or specialty; 63 specialties each need a registration.
- The City of Seattle issued 4,024 residential and 1,311 nonresidential building permits in 2025.
On this page
This report is for homeowners and developers choosing a contractor in the Seattle area, general contractors looking for subcontractors, people considering a job or an acquisition, and B2B sellers whose customers are contractors. It starts with how to check a Washington contractor, then the Census figures, the city's permit data and a prospecting plan.
Every Washington contractor is registered
Washington requires all construction contractors to register with the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) before they bid, advertise or work. There are two classifications:
| Classification | What it can do | Bond required |
|---|---|---|
| General contractor | Most types of construction work, and can hire subcontractors in multiple specialties | $30,000 |
| Specialty contractor | Only the specialty it's registered in (L&I regulates 63, from roofing and painting to HVAC and tree removal); can't hire subcontractors | $15,000 |
Both need general liability insurance of $200,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined, with L&I listed as certificate holder; the application fee is $150.20. Electrical, plumbing, elevator, boiler and asbestos work carries additional licensing on top of registration.
To check a firm, enter its name or registration number in L&I's Verify a Contractor tool. Confirm that the registration is active, that the classification fits your job (a specialty contractor can't run a whole remodel with subs), and that the bond and insurance are current.
Seattle-area construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area (CBSA 42660):
| Measure | Metro Seattle, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 13,610 |
| Employees | 130,233 |
| Annual payroll | $11,509,938,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 9.6 |
| Average annual pay | $88,380 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 1.67% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County, Washington | 6,775 | 75,035 | 11.1 |
| Snohomish County, Washington | 3,797 | 28,694 | 7.6 |
| Pierce County, Washington | 3,038 | 26,504 | 8.7 |
King County has half the metro's establishments and 58% of its construction jobs. Snohomish's contractors are the smallest on average, many of them residential and trade firms serving the north end.
The trades that dominate
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Building construction (236) | 4,948 | 33,284 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 2,882 | 10,444 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 1,321 | 5,828 |
| For-sale homebuilders (236117) | 250 | 2,577 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 388 | 10,999 |
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 8,239 | 85,245 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring, tile, carpentry (2383) | 2,959 | 21,186 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 1,064 | 17,675 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 1,051 | 15,011 |
| Roofing (238160) | 508 | 4,800 |
| Siding (238170) | 360 | 1,675 |
| Framing (238130) | 339 | 3,302 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 600 | 6,680 |
| Heavy and civil engineering (237) | 423 | 11,704 |
Residential builders of all kinds (4,535 establishments) are a third of the market. Commercial and institutional builders are few, 388, but average 28 employees, and they hire most of the electrical, mechanical and finishing subcontractors on large projects. Roofing, siding and framing together account for 1,207 establishments, a sign of how much work goes into the building envelope in a wet climate.
Firm size
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 9,116 |
| 5 to 9 | 2,037 |
| 10 to 19 | 1,146 |
| 20 to 49 | 837 |
| 50 to 99 | 266 |
| 100 to 249 | 169 |
| 250 to 499 | 24 |
| 500 to 999 | 12 |
| 1,000 or more | 3 |
In broader bands: 12,299 establishments (90.4%) have 1 to 19 employees, 1,103 have 20 to 99 and 208 have 100 or more.
What CBP counts: establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies; a builder with a Bellevue office and a Kent yard counts twice. It leaves out self-employed contractors with no payroll, who are numerous in residential trades, and employment is for the pay period including March 12, 2023.
What's being built
The City of Seattle publishes every building permit it issues, with the permit class, description, estimated project cost and, where entered, the contractor's company name. In calendar 2025 the city issued 4,024 residential and 1,311 nonresidential building permits, plus 556 demolition, 417 roofing and 26 grading permits.
Across the metro, the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 15,659 new housing units authorized in 2025, down from 17,920 in 2024. Of the 2025 units, 6,136 were single-family homes and 8,199 were in buildings of five or more units. Apartment and townhouse projects keep framers, drywall, siding and roofing contractors busy even when single-family starts slow.
Public companies
No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the Seattle metro, so there are no published revenue figures to rank local contractors by. The large general contractors working here are private or are offices of companies headquartered elsewhere.
Selling to Seattle construction companies
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 12,299 | The owner, who also estimates and runs jobs |
| 20 to 99 employees | 1,103 | Owner with an operations manager or project manager; an office manager for software |
| 100 or more | 208 | Preconstruction, procurement, safety and equipment leaders |
The L&I registration database is a prospect list in itself: every firm has a classification, specialty, bond and insurance on record, so you can target roofing or siding specialty contractors, or general contractors only. The city's permit data adds timing. Our guide on how to find decision makers covers the next step once you have the company.
Illustrative example. The company and its assumptions are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023.
Cascade Envelope Supply (cascadeenvelope.example) distributes rain-screen, flashing and weather barrier products. Its target is roofing (508 establishments), siding (360), framing (339) and glazing (118) contractors in the metro: 1,325 in all. If 20% have 10 or more employees and buy enough to open a trade account, that's about 265 accounts. At an average of $60,000 a year each, winning 15% (40 accounts) is $2.4 million in annual sales. The useful research is which of the 265 are working on multifamily permits right now. Bebop builds that kind of list from a plain-language description and writes a playbook for each account.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| L&I Verify a Contractor | Registration, classification, bond, insurance and violations for any Washington contractor |
| City of Seattle building permits | Every permit issued in the city, with class, description and estimated cost |
| WSDOT contractor prequalification | Prequalified highway and ferry terminal contractors, with work classes |
| AGC of Washington | Commercial general and specialty contractors statewide |
| Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties | Home builders and remodelers, with a member directory |
| Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce | Regional business network and member companies |
WSDOT prequalification asks for at least five completed projects and an audited or reviewed financial statement, renewed every year, so the list is a good guide to established heavy civil firms. For engineering firms rather than contractors, see the Seattle engineering firms report; for the rest of the state, see Washington State construction companies.
Next step: turn these segments into a list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Register as a Contractor, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, accessed 30 October 2026
- Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits, City of Seattle Open Data, updated 30 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual metro area data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Step 1: Prequalify, Washington State Department of Transportation, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Seattle?
The US Census Bureau counted 13,610 construction establishments with paid employees in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area in 2023, employing 130,233 people: 6,775 in King County, 3,797 in Snohomish and 3,038 in Pierce. 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.
How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Washington State?
Use the Department of Labor and Industries' Verify a Contractor tool. Washington requires every construction contractor to register with L&I, carry a surety bond ($30,000 for general contractors, $15,000 for specialty contractors) and hold liability insurance. The tool shows whether the registration is active, the classification and specialty, and the bond and insurance on file.
What is the difference between a general and specialty contractor in Washington?
A general contractor registered with L&I can do most types of construction work and hire subcontractors in multiple specialties. A specialty contractor can only do work in the specialty it's registered in, such as roofing or painting, and can't hire subcontractors. General contractors post a $30,000 bond and specialty contractors $15,000. Electrical and plumbing work also need separate licenses.
What kinds of construction companies are most common in Seattle?
Residential builders and remodelers are the largest group, with 4,535 establishments in the metro in 2023, including 2,882 remodelers. Among trades, building finishing contractors (drywall, painting, flooring, tile) lead with 2,959, followed by plumbing and HVAC (1,064) and electrical (1,051). Roofing, siding and framing contractors together number 1,207, reflecting how much work goes into building envelopes.
Are there public construction companies headquartered in Seattle?
No listed construction contractor has its business address in the Seattle metro, according to SEC company records for construction industry codes. The region's large general contractors are private companies or offices of firms based elsewhere, so they don't publish local revenue. Permit data and the L&I registration database are better ways to gauge a firm's size and activity.