Short answer
The Spokane-Spokane Valley metro had 2,085 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 14,971 people with $1.10 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Spokane County has 1,927 of them. Washington requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries; its open data listed 5,362 active registrations and licenses with a Spokane-metro address in October 2026.
- 2,085 construction establishments and 14,971 employees in Spokane and Stevens counties in 2023; average pay $73,273.
- 7.2 employees per establishment against 9.4 nationally; only 14 establishments have 100 or more.
- L&I's open data lists 4,788 active construction contractor registrations in the metro, 3,951 of them general contractors.
- Builders were authorized to start 3,172 housing units in the metro in 2025, down from 3,961; 1,425 were in apartment buildings.
- The City of Spokane opened 2,558 roofing, siding and window permits and 1,244 residential building permits in 2025.
On this page
This report is for homeowners and businesses hiring a contractor in the Spokane area, general contractors looking for subcontractors, people weighing a job or an acquisition in the Inland Northwest, and B2B sellers who supply or serve Inland Northwest contractors. Below: the Census count, Washington's open contractor file, Spokane's permit data and a plan for working the market.
Spokane construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Metro Area (CBSA 44060):
| Measure | Spokane metro, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 2,085 |
| Employees | 14,971 |
| Annual payroll | $1,096,967,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 7.2 |
| Average annual pay | $73,273 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.26% (of 814,557) |
| County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane County, Washington | 1,927 | 14,415 |
| Stevens County, Washington | 158 | 556 |
Average pay is about $3,300 below the national construction figure of $76,580 and almost $10,000 below the Washington State average of $83,136 (our calculations from the CBP state files). Stevens County's 158 establishments average 3.5 employees: rural builders and trades north of the city.
A market of small builders
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 350 | 1,010 |
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 244 | 811 |
| For-sale homebuilders (236117) | 39 | 265 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 81 | 1,579 |
| Foundation, structure and exterior (2381) | 342 | 2,281 |
| Building finishing: drywall, painting, flooring, tile (2383) | 346 | 2,206 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 190 | 2,190 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 167 | 1,968 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 144 | 747 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 20 | 436 |
| Power and communication lines (237130) | 13 | 320 |
Residential builders and remodelers (640 establishments) are 31% of the market, against 26% nationally. The 81 commercial and institutional builders average almost 20 employees and are the main buyers of subcontracted trades on larger jobs.
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 1,420 |
| 5 to 9 | 312 |
| 10 to 19 | 185 |
| 20 to 49 | 111 |
| 50 to 99 | 43 |
| 100 to 249 | 13 |
| 250 to 499 | Not published |
| 500 to 999 | Not published |
| 1,000 or more | Not published |
In broader bands, 1,917 establishments (91.9%) have 1 to 19 employees, 154 have 20 to 99 and 14 have 100 or more. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the three largest classes here; the published cells leave a single establishment with 250 or more employees. CBP counts locations with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out the self-employed, who are common in residential trades.
The state's contractor file, for Spokane
Washington requires every construction contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), with a surety bond ($30,000 for general contractors, $15,000 for specialty contractors) and general liability insurance on file. L&I publishes its contractor file on the state's open data portal with business name, address, phone, license type, specialty and status. Filtering the active records to business addresses in Spokane and Stevens counties (matched by ZIP code) on 30 October 2026 gave:
| L&I license type | Active in the Spokane metro |
|---|---|
| Construction contractor, general | 3,951 |
| Construction contractor, specialty | 837 |
| Electrical contractor | 395 |
| Plumbing contractor | 173 |
| Elevator contractor | 6 |
| Total | 5,362 |
That's more than twice the CBP establishment count, because registration covers owner-operators with no payroll. The most common specialty registrations are painting and wall covering, floor covering and countertops, landscaping, concrete and HVAC. To check one firm, use L&I's Verify a Contractor tool; the Seattle construction report explains what the general and specialty classifications allow.
What the city is permitting
The City of Spokane publishes building and engineering permits as an open map layer with type, status, address and neighborhood. For permits opened in 2025:
| Permit type, opened 2025 | Permits |
|---|---|
| Electrical ePermits for remodels | 5,864 |
| Mechanical permits | 5,342 |
| Roofing, siding and window permits | 2,558 |
| Sewer relay repairs | 1,294 |
| Residential building permits | 1,244 |
| Plumbing permits | 1,210 |
| Commercial building remodels | 297 |
| Commercial building new | 83 |
Re-roofing, siding and window work alone ran to 2,558 permits, twice the number of residential building permits: a steady market for exterior contractors and their suppliers. Across the metro, the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 3,172 housing units authorized in 2025, down 20% from 3,961 in 2024; 1,571 were single-family homes and 1,425 were in buildings of five or more units.
No SEC-registered listed construction company is headquartered in the Spokane metro.
Selling to Spokane contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,917 | The owner, often on the tools |
| 20 to 99 employees | 154 | Owner with an office or operations manager |
| 100 or more | 14 | Operations, safety and purchasing leaders |
With 92% of establishments under 20 employees, most deals are owner decisions made quickly or not at all. The L&I file gives you a phone number for nearly every firm; the city's permit layer tells you who has work. For the 14 larger establishments, our guide on finding decision makers helps.
Illustrative example. Palouse Exterior Supply is fictional, as are its sales figures; the counts come from CBP 2023, L&I open data and the city's permit layer.
Palouse Exterior Supply (palouseexterior.example) sells roofing, siding and window products to contractors. It starts with the specialty and general contractors in the L&I file whose specialty or website points to exterior work, and the 342 foundation, structure and exterior establishments in the CBP count. If 250 of those firms do re-roofing and siding regularly and it wins 12% (30), at $80,000 of materials a year each, that's $2.4 million. The research that matters is which contractors are pulling the 2,558 roofing, siding and window permits. Describe the contractors you want and Bebop builds the list, with a playbook for each firm.
Sources for names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| L&I Contractor License Data | Every Washington contractor registration, with status, specialty, address and phone |
| L&I Verify a Contractor | One firm's registration, bond, insurance and violations |
| City of Spokane open data | Building and engineering permits by type and neighborhood |
| Inland Northwest AGC | Commercial contractors in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, with a membership directory |
| Greater Spokane Inc. | The region's economic development group, with a partner business directory |
For the rest of the state, see Washington State construction companies.
Next step: turn the L&I file into a segmented list using the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- L&I Contractor License Data - General, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries via data.wa.gov, updated 30 October 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Register as a Contractor, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, accessed 30 October 2026
- Permit (building and engineering permits), City of Spokane Open Data, accessed 30 October 2026
- Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors, NWAGC, accessed 30 October 2026
- Greater Spokane Inc., Greater Spokane Inc., accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Spokane?
The US Census Bureau counted 2,085 construction establishments with paid employees in the Spokane-Spokane Valley metro in 2023, employing 14,971 people; 1,927 are in Spokane County. Washington's contractor registration file is larger: in October 2026 it listed 5,362 active registrations and licenses with Spokane-metro addresses, because it includes owner-operators with no employees.
How do I check a contractor's license in Spokane?
Washington registers contractors at state level, so use the Department of Labor and Industries' Verify a Contractor tool rather than a city lookup. It shows whether the registration is active, whether the firm is a general or specialty contractor, and its bond, insurance and any violations. General contractors carry a $30,000 bond and specialty contractors $15,000. Electricians and plumbers hold separate L&I licenses.
How big are construction companies in Spokane?
Most are small. Spokane's construction establishments averaged 7.2 employees in 2023, against 9.4 nationally, and 1,917 of the 2,085 had fewer than 20 employees. Only 14 had 100 or more. The largest group is residential: 350 remodelers and 244 new single-family general contractors. Commercial and institutional builders number 81 and average almost 20 employees each.
Where can I find building permits in Spokane?
The City of Spokane publishes building and engineering permits on its open data portal, with permit type, status, address and neighborhood. In 2025 the city opened 1,244 residential building permits, 83 new commercial building permits and 2,558 roofing, siding and window permits. Work outside city limits, including in Spokane Valley, is permitted by that jurisdiction.