Short answer
Utah had 13,022 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 117,792 people with $7.97 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns: 1.6% of the US total and 23rd among states. The Salt Lake City metro has 4,290 of them. Utah licenses contractors through the Division of Professional Licensing, whose online lookup covers contractors, electricians and plumbers, and UDOT publishes its prequalified highway contractors.
- 13,022 construction establishments and 117,792 employees in Utah in 2023; average pay $67,640.
- 1,484 new single-family general contractors, 11.4% of the state's construction establishments against 7.4% nationally.
- Builders were authorized to start 26,775 housing units in Utah in 2025, up from 23,902 in 2024; Provo-Orem led for single-family homes.
- Four metros (Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, Ogden and St. George) hold 79% of the state's construction establishments.
- SunPower Inc. of Orem, the rebranded Complete Solaria, is the state's only listed construction company, with $300.0 million in 2025 revenue.
On this page
This report is for homeowners and developers choosing a Utah contractor, builders looking for subcontractors, people weighing a job or an acquisition along the Wasatch Front, and B2B sellers planning a Utah territory. It covers the Census count, where the homes are being permitted, how to check a contractor and how to prospect the market.
Utah construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), State of Utah:
| Measure | Utah, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 13,022 |
| Employees | 117,792 |
| Annual payroll | $7,967,480,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 9.0 |
| Average annual pay | $67,640 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 1.6% (of 814,557) |
| Rank among states by establishments | 23rd |
Average pay is about $8,900 below the national construction figure of $76,580 (our calculation from the CBP state files), and 41st among states. That matters if you sell on labor savings: the pitch has to work at Utah wages, not Bay Area ones.
Where the firms are
| Metro area | Establishments | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City-Murray | 4,290 | 47,709 | $73,334 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | 2,425 | 23,653 | $62,531 |
| Ogden | 2,246 | 19,880 | $65,870 |
| St. George | 1,335 | 8,723 | $52,427 |
| Logan (Utah and Idaho) | 730 | 3,923 | $59,551 |
| Heber (micro area) | 636 | 4,746 | $83,431 |
The four largest metros hold 10,296 establishments, 79% of the state. The Heber micro area (Summit and Wasatch counties, which include Park City) has the highest average pay in the state, while St. George's firms are small and pay the least.
A homebuilding state
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| New single-family general contractors (236115) | 1,484 | 5,840 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 1,315 | 4,505 |
| For-sale homebuilders (236117) | 240 | 2,324 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 501 | 8,761 |
| Framing (238130) | 476 | 2,715 |
| Concrete foundation and structure (238110) | 590 | 5,193 |
| Roofing (238160) | 354 | 3,304 |
| Finish carpentry (238350) | 696 | 3,554 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 1,136 | 17,748 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 1,443 | 15,616 |
| Site preparation (238910) | 709 | 8,332 |
| Land subdivision (2372) | 114 | 733 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 98 | 3,590 |
New single-family general contractors (custom and contract builders) are 11.4% of Utah's construction establishments, against 7.4% nationally, and they outnumber remodelers, the reverse of the national pattern. Electrical contractors average 15.6 employees, against 12.2 nationally, and site preparation firms 11.8 against 11.3. Both scale with subdivisions: every new lot needs utilities, grading and wiring before the house goes up.
Size
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 8,491 |
| 5 to 9 | 2,171 |
| 10 to 19 | 1,280 |
| 20 to 49 | 723 |
| 50 to 99 | 210 |
| 100 to 249 | 100 |
| 250 to 499 | 28 |
| 500 to 999 | 18 |
| 1,000 or more | 1 (derived) |
The Census Bureau doesn't publish Utah's 1,000-or-more cell; the 1 shown is the state total less the published cells. In broader bands, 11,942 establishments (91.7%) have 1 to 19 employees, 933 have 20 to 99 and 147 have 100 or more. CBP counts locations with paid employees, not companies, so a builder with offices in Lehi and St. George counts twice, and it leaves out the self-employed.
Where the homes are being permitted
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey counted 26,775 housing units authorized in Utah in 2025, up from 23,902 in 2024, with an estimated construction value of $8.31 billion. Statewide, 16,774 were single-family homes, 780 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 9,221 were in buildings of five or more units.
| Metro area, 2025 | Single-family | All housing units | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | 5,395 | 7,304 | Up from 6,428 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray | 3,015 | 7,702 | Up from 5,447 |
| St. George | 2,497 | 2,857 | Down from 3,152 |
| Ogden | 1,746 | 3,599 | Up from 3,294 |
| Logan | 914 | 1,176 | Up from 1,096 |
Provo-Orem authorized almost twice as many single-family homes as the Salt Lake City metro, while Salt Lake's growth is in apartments: 4,471 of its 7,702 units were in buildings of five or more units. For a seller, that splits the Wasatch Front into a single-family south and a multifamily core.
How to check a Utah contractor
Utah licenses contractors at state level through the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). Its license lookup, run on the state's online services site, searches by name or license number across 67 professions, including contractors, electricians and plumbers.
- Look up the license in DOPL's lookup and confirm it's active and the business name matches the contract.
- Check the classification fits the job. A firm licensed for a specialty trade shouldn't be running a whole-house build.
- For highway and heavy work, check UDOT. UDOT's Prequalified Contractors report lists each prequalified firm with its address, expiration date and approved work types.
- Ask for insurance certificates and confirm them with the insurer, and for two or three recent references on similar work.
Public companies
SunPower Inc., headquartered in Orem, is the only SEC-registered, listed construction company based in Utah. It's the rebranded Complete Solaria, which took the SunPower name in 2025 after buying SunPower businesses, and it sells and installs residential solar systems through its own crews and partners. Its Form 10-K reports $300.0 million in revenue for the year to 28 December 2025, up from $108.7 million. Utah's large general contractors and homebuilders are private or are divisions of national builders headquartered elsewhere.
Selling to Utah contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who usually decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 11,942 | The owner, often also the site supervisor |
| 20 to 99 employees | 933 | Owner with a purchasing, operations or project manager |
| 100 or more | 147 | Purchasing, land, operations and safety leaders |
Homebuilders buy on a lot-by-lot schedule: trusses, windows, concrete and trades are committed when a phase of a subdivision is released. Track plats and phases, not just company names. Our guide on finding decision makers explains how to reach purchasing at the larger builders.
Illustrative example. Wasatch Truss and its prices are invented; the counts are from CBP 2023 and the Census Bureau's 2025 permit data.
Wasatch Truss (wasatchtruss.example) sells roof trusses and wall panels. Its targets are new single-family general contractors (1,484 establishments), for-sale homebuilders (240) and framers (476): 2,200 accounts. It starts in Utah County, where 5,395 single-family homes were authorized in 2025. If 30% of the targets build there, that's about 660 accounts; winning 8% (53) at an average of 25 homes a year and $14,000 of trusses and panels per home is about $18.6 million. The research that matters is which builders just recorded a new phase. Bebop finds builders like these from a plain-language description and researches each one.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Utah license lookup (DOPL) | License status for contractors, electricians and plumbers |
| UDOT construction business page | The prequalified contractors report, Contractor Zone, project previews and bid results |
| AGC of Utah | 650+ members in commercial and highway construction, with a member directory |
| Salt Lake HBA member directory | Builders, remodelers, suppliers and trades in Salt Lake and Tooele counties |
For concrete suppliers and contractors, see Utah concrete companies; for the rest of the economy, companies in Utah.
Next step: read the construction companies industry guide for how builders, trades and civil firms each buy.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual state and CBSA data 2024 and 2025, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- License lookup and verification, Utah Division of Professional Licensing, accessed 30 October 2026
- Construction, Utah Department of Transportation, accessed 30 October 2026
- SunPower Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 14 April 2026
- Associated General Contractors of Utah, AGC of Utah, accessed 30 October 2026
- Member directory, Salt Lake Home Builders Association, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are there in Utah?
The US Census Bureau counted 13,022 construction establishments with paid employees in Utah in 2023, employing 117,792 people. That's 1.6% of the US total and 23rd among states. The Salt Lake City metro has 4,290, Provo-Orem 2,425 and Ogden 2,246. Establishments are locations rather than companies, and self-employed contractors with no employees aren't counted.
How do I check if a contractor is licensed in Utah?
Use the Division of Professional Licensing's license lookup on the state's online services site. Search by the business or qualifier's name, or by license number, and choose Contractor as the profession. Confirm the license is active, the name matches your contract and the classification fits the work. For highway contractors, UDOT's Prequalified Contractors report shows approved work types and expiration dates.
Where is the most new construction in Utah?
By housing permits, the Provo-Orem-Lehi metro led for single-family homes in 2025 with 5,395 authorized, against 3,015 in the Salt Lake City metro, according to the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey. Salt Lake City led for total units, 7,702, because 4,471 were in apartment and condo buildings. Statewide, 26,775 housing units were authorized, up from 23,902 in 2024.
What are the largest construction companies in Utah?
SunPower Inc. of Orem, the rebranded Complete Solaria, is the only listed construction company headquartered in Utah, with $300.0 million in revenue for 2025 according to its 10-K. Utah's largest general contractors and homebuilders are private or divisions of national companies, so they don't publish Utah revenue. Association member directories and UDOT's prequalified list are the best public sources for them.