Last reviewed: September 2026 · By the HVAC Brief Editorial Team · Our sourcing and editorial standards
BLS counted 122,326 private plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractor establishments in 2024, up 22.4% since 2014. The first quarter of 2026 reached 125,652.
The same decade shows the businesses getting bigger: average employment per establishment rose from 9.1 to 10.5. And every federal count includes plumbing, because the government does not separate it from HVAC. Technician density by state is in HVAC technicians per capita, and the federal wage enforcement record for these firms in wage theft in HVAC.
The question has an unusually untidy answer online. Software and lead-generation sites quote 120,000 HVAC businesses, or 125,000, without naming a source, and none of them says what is being counted.
There is a federal count, it is close to those figures, and it measures something specific. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages draws on the unemployment insurance records that nearly every employer files, which makes it the most complete count of employer establishments the government publishes.
The count
In its 2024 annual average, QCEW recorded 122,326 private establishments in NAICS 23822, Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors, employing 1,287,056 people at an average annual pay of $78,290. By the first quarter of 2026 the count was 125,652, +2.5% on a year earlier.
Establishments rose every year of the decade, including 2020, when employment fell. Between 2014 and 2024 the count grew 22.4%.
Why the sources disagree
Every figure in circulation is measuring one of three different things: business locations, jobs, or workers in an occupation. The table puts them side by side.
| Source | What it counts | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| QCEW (BLS), 2024 annual average | Private establishments, NAICS 23822 | 122,326 | A location with employees covered by unemployment insurance. One firm can run several. |
| QCEW (BLS), 2026 Q1 | Private establishments, NAICS 23822 | 125,652 | The most recent quarter published. |
| County Business Patterns (Census), 2023 | Establishments with paid employees, NAICS 238220 | 111,207 | Same concept as QCEW, different collection and a year older. Excludes most government and some small employers. |
| Figures circulating on software and lead-generation sites | “HVAC businesses” or “firms” | 120,000 or 125,000 | No series cited. Plausibly a rounded QCEW or CBP establishment count presented as a firm count. |
| Current Employment Statistics (BLS), July 2026 | Jobs, all employees, NAICS 238220 | 1,355,400 | A count of jobs, not businesses. |
| QCEW (BLS), 2024 | Private employment, NAICS 23822 | 1,287,056 | Jobs at establishments covered by unemployment insurance. |
| Occupational Outlook Handbook (BLS), 2024 | HVAC mechanics and installers, SOC 49-9021 | 425,200 | An occupation: technicians, in any industry. Excludes office, sales and management roles. |
The circulating 120,000 and 125,000 figures are not wrong so much as unlabelled. They sit between the 2023 County Business Patterns count and the 2024 QCEW count, which is where a rounded establishment figure would land. What they are not is a count of firms, and none of them can be an HVAC-only count, because no federal series separates HVAC from plumbing.
The businesses are getting bigger
Employment per establishment is the derived measure that matters for anyone reading the market. It rose from 9.1 in 2014 to 10.5 in 2024, because employment grew 41.6% while establishments grew 22.4%.
| Year | Establishments | Employment | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 99,921 | 909,038 | 9.1 |
| 2015 | 101,450 | 958,143 | 9.4 |
| 2016 | 103,126 | 1,014,061 | 9.8 |
| 2017 | 104,380 | 1,052,906 | 10.1 |
| 2018 | 107,087 | 1,099,111 | 10.3 |
| 2019 | 109,351 | 1,136,157 | 10.4 |
| 2020 | 111,201 | 1,115,431 | 10.0 |
| 2021 | 113,822 | 1,163,261 | 10.2 |
| 2022 | 117,125 | 1,211,300 | 10.3 |
| 2023 | 120,413 | 1,252,061 | 10.4 |
| 2024 | 122,326 | 1,287,056 | 10.5 |
Average size rising is what consolidation looks like in aggregate data, and it fits the acquisition activity widely reported in the trade press. QCEW cannot confirm that link: it records locations, not ownership, so an acquired contractor that keeps its branches looks identical before and after the sale.
By state
| State | Establishments | Employment | Employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,467 | 126,354 | 10.1 |
| Florida | 10,676 | 103,834 | 9.7 |
| Texas | 9,788 | 116,845 | 11.9 |
| New York | 7,324 | 68,343 | 9.3 |
| North Carolina | 4,797 | 48,441 | 10.1 |
| Illinois | 4,280 | 39,900 | 9.3 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,254 | 45,485 | 10.7 |
| Georgia | 3,657 | 36,754 | 10.1 |
| New Jersey | 3,501 | 30,290 | 8.7 |
| Ohio | 3,486 | 43,788 | 12.6 |
| Massachusetts | 3,048 | 32,280 | 10.6 |
| Arizona | 2,936 | 37,389 | 12.7 |
| Virginia | 2,831 | 35,379 | 12.5 |
| Colorado | 2,798 | 28,879 | 10.3 |
| Michigan | 2,720 | 32,129 | 11.8 |
The largest average operations are in District of Columbia, Maryland, Nevada, at 18.2 to 15.6 employees per establishment. The smallest are in Maine, Montana, Wyoming, at 6.3 to 6.6. Employment, wages and concentration by state are in our HVAC employment and wage index.
Frequently asked questions
How many HVAC companies are there in the US?
BLS counted 122,326 private establishments in plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contracting in its 2024 annual average, rising to 125,652 in the first quarter of 2026. That category, NAICS 238220, includes plumbing contractors: no federal series separates HVAC from plumbing.
Is the number of HVAC businesses growing?
Yes. Establishments rose from 99,921 in 2014 to 122,326 in 2024, up 22.4%. The first quarter of 2026 was +2.5% on a year earlier.
Are HVAC companies getting bigger?
On average, yes. Employment per establishment rose from 9.1 in 2014 to 10.5 in 2024, because employment grew 42% while establishments grew 22%. That is consistent with consolidation, though QCEW cannot show ownership and so cannot attribute it to acquisitions.
Why do sources disagree on how many HVAC businesses exist?
Because they count different things. QCEW and County Business Patterns count establishments, which are locations. Software sites quote 120,000 or 125,000 without a source. Employment surveys count jobs. The occupation estimate counts technicians across every industry. None of these is wrong; most quotations mix them up.
What is the difference between an establishment and a firm?
An establishment is a single physical location where business is done. A firm can operate several. QCEW counts establishments, so a contractor with three branches counts three times. There is no federal monthly or annual count of HVAC firms.
Does this include one-person HVAC businesses?
No. QCEW covers employers that pay unemployment insurance, so sole proprietors with no employees are outside it. Census publishes those separately as Nonemployer Statistics, which would add a large number of very small operators to any total.
Which states have the most HVAC contractors?
California has the most establishments at 12,467, followed by Florida and Texas. Counts track population closely; our separate employment index shows which states are concentrated relative to their economy.
Does the count include plumbing contractors?
Yes, and every source does. NAICS 238220 is Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors as one industry. Any figure presented as an HVAC-only business count from federal data is actually this combined count.
Methodology and limitations
- Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, open data files, NAICS 23822, annual averages 2014 to 2024 and quarterly 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1.
- QCEW publishes this industry at the five-digit code 23822. The six-digit code 238220 has no further subdivision, so the two are identical in content.
- NAICS 238220 is Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors. Plumbing is included in every figure on this page and cannot be separated using federal data.
- Private ownership only (QCEW ownership code 5). Government establishments are excluded.
- QCEW counts establishments, meaning physical locations, not firms. A business with several branches is counted once per branch.
- QCEW covers employers filing unemployment insurance reports. Self-employed operators without employees are not included; Census Nonemployer Statistics covers them separately.
- Employees per establishment is derived here as annual average employment divided by annual average establishments.
- No state cell for this industry was suppressed in 2024. QCEW withholds cells for confidentiality where a single employer would be identifiable.
- The 120,000 and 125,000 figures attributed to software sites are reported as circulating claims, not verified data. Their sources could not be identified.
- County Business Patterns uses a March pay-period reference and a different collection; it is not expected to match QCEW exactly.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, open data files for NAICS 23822, annual 2014 to 2024 and quarterly 2025 Q1 to 2026 Q1.
- US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023, NAICS 238220.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, series CEU2023822001.
The HVAC Brief is an independent trade publication. We do not sell equipment, take manufacturer advertising, or accept payment for placement in our research. Corrections welcome.
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