Home Services Industry Statistics: Market Size and Labor Data

"Home services" covers every trade that dispatches a worker to a residential or light-commercial property to install, repair, or maintain mechanical, electrical, or structural systems. This page tracks four primary segments using official federal classifications:

Trade	NAICS	BLS SOC
Electrical Contractors	23821	47-2111
Plumbing / HVAC Contractors	23822	47-2152, 49-9021
Roofing Contractors	23816	47-2181
Locksmiths	56162	49-9094

Primary data sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) May 2023 release; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) 2022-2032 projections edition; Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB) 2021 annual data; IBISWorld subscription industry reports, cited by report title and year.

This page covers industry scale — market size, worker counts, business counts, wages, and growth projections. For demand-side statistics on missed calls, response-time benchmarks, and after-hours volume, visit the home services call and lead data hub.

Update schedule: Reviewed annually when BLS publishes new OES data (typically Q1). Current data: BLS OES May 2023, Census SUSB 2021, IBISWorld 2024 editions.

The home service contracting industry generates hundreds of billions in annual U.S. revenue. Figures here draw from IBISWorld subscription reports (cited by title and year) and Census Bureau data. NAICS categories span both residential and commercial work — residential-only splits are available in IBISWorld reports for subscribers.

Electrical Contractors (NAICS 23821)

IBISWorld's Electrical Contractors & Other Wiring Installation in the US (2024 edition) estimates annual U.S. industry revenue in excess of $220 billion. The sector is highly fragmented — independent operators and regional firms capture the overwhelming share of total revenue. Most small firms bill residential service calls, remodels, and emergency fault work at $300–$2,000 per ticket.

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (NAICS 23822)

Plumbing and HVAC fall under a single federal NAICS classification. IBISWorld's Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Contractors in the US (2024 edition) estimates industry revenue in excess of $200 billion annually. This is the most fragmented segment in specialty trade contracting — the vast majority of firms operate in the $300K–$5M annual revenue range and are run by the owner.

Roofing Contractors (NAICS 23816)

IBISWorld's Roofing Contractors in the US (2024 edition) estimates annual industry revenue at approximately $55–60 billion. Roofing is event-driven — storm damage creates rapid demand spikes — and full-replacement ticket sizes run $8,000–$25,000+. One unanswered call during a storm event can mean a $15,000 job handed to whoever picked up.

Adjacent Trades

Drain cleaning, water restoration, locksmithing, and handyman services sit outside the three primary NAICS categories but share the same operational profile: high inbound call volume, high ticket per job, irregular hours, and predominantly owner-operated businesses. Combined, these trades add tens of billions in annual market revenue.

The Census Bureau Annual Business Survey provides free public revenue-by-size-band breakdowns for NAICS 238 with a 2-3 year lag. IBISWorld subscription reports provide current-year projections. Both confirm the same structure: a multi-hundred-billion-dollar market dominated by small owner-operated firms where the phone is the primary revenue channel.

Over 1.8 million workers are employed in core home service trades across the United States, based on May 2023 OES data. The BLS OES program surveys approximately 1.1 million employer establishments annually and publishes national, state, and metro-level results.

Electricians (SOC 47-2111)

Total U.S. employment: 739,200 — the largest single skilled-trade occupation in the home services cluster. The majority work for electrical contractor firms (NAICS 23821); the balance are in manufacturing, utilities, and government. Source: BLS OES SOC 47-2111.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152)

Total U.S. employment: 480,600. BLS groups residential plumbers with industrial pipefitters and steamfitters under SOC 47-2152 — residential service plumbers make up the largest subgroup by firm count. Source: BLS OES SOC 47-2152.

HVAC Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021)

Total U.S. employment: 394,800 — the fastest-growing occupation in this group by BLS projection. Source: BLS OES SOC 49-9021.

Roofers (SOC 47-2181)

Total U.S. employment: 152,800. This likely undercounts actual field workers — roofing carries significant seasonal and informal employment not captured in employer surveys. Source: BLS OES SOC 47-2181.

Locksmiths and Safe Repairers (SOC 49-9094)

Total U.S. employment: 28,900 — a smaller occupation with high per-call economics in emergency lockout scenarios. Source: BLS OES SOC 49-9094.

Add general maintenance workers (SOC 49-9071) — 1.4 million employed per BLS OES May 2023 — and the broader home and building services workforce exceeds 3 million workers, one of the largest skilled blue-collar employment clusters in the U.S. economy.

More than 1.7 million home service businesses — employer firms and sole proprietors combined — operate in the United States as of the 2021 Census reference year. The Census Bureau SUSB 2021 annual data counts employer establishments by NAICS code and employment-size band.

Employer Firm Counts by NAICS (Census SUSB 2021)

• Electrical Contractors (NAICS 23821): approximately 65,000 employer establishments
• Plumbing, Heating & A/C Contractors (NAICS 23822): approximately 110,000 employer establishments
• Roofing Contractors (NAICS 23816): approximately 35,000 employer establishments

Size Distribution

Within NAICS 238 (Specialty Trade Contractors), 2021 SUSB data shows the sector is overwhelmingly small-firm: approximately 55% of employer establishments have 1-4 employees, and roughly 21% have 5-9 employees. More than three-quarters of all employer home service firms have fewer than 10 employees.

Three-quarters of your competition is a one-to-nine-person shop where the owner is dispatcher, estimator, and often the tech on the truck. When those businesses miss a call, there is no office manager to follow up. Whoever answers wins the job.

Nonemployer Businesses

Census Nonemployer Statistics track sole proprietors and single-member LLCs with no paid employees. Nonemployer specialty trade contractors numbered over 1.5 million nationally in 2021 — owner-only operations where every missed call is 100% of available phone capacity failing.

Combined employer and nonemployer businesses in home service trades exceed 1.7 million as of the 2021 reference year — a market where the missed-call problem is structural, not the exception.

BLS OES median wages reflect base pay across all employment settings — residential service, commercial contracting, new construction, utilities, and government. National medians are the baseline; actual pay varies by geography and union status.

Median and Mean Annual Wages, BLS OES May 2023

Occupation	SOC	Median Annual	Mean Annual
Electricians	47-2111	$61,590	$65,280
Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters	47-2152	$61,550	$65,740
HVAC Mechanics and Installers	49-9021	$57,300	$60,060
Roofers	47-2181	$48,430	$52,630
Locksmiths and Safe Repairers	49-9094	$43,500	$47,260

Sources: BLS OES May 2023, national tables for each SOC code listed.

Geographic Variation

Electricians in Illinois, New York, and California earn median wages above $85,000 — nearly $25,000 above the national figure. HVAC technicians in Hawaii and Alaska approach $80,000 median. Southern and rural markets typically run 15-25% below the national median.

What This Tells You About Ticket Economics

At $61,550 median for a plumber and fully loaded labor cost (wages plus payroll tax, insurance, workers' comp) running 1.4-1.6x base wage, a field tech costs a shop owner $50-$65 per hour in direct labor. A $500 emergency call clears roughly 30-40 minutes of overhead-adjusted revenue. When that call hits voicemail and walks to a competitor, you lose the $500 and still paid the tech who sat idle.

The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022-2032 projections show broadly positive growth across home service occupations, with electricians leading the group.

Projected Employment Growth, 2022-2032 (BLS OOH)

Occupation	Growth	BLS Rating
Electricians	+11%	Much faster than average
HVAC Mechanics and Installers	+6%	Faster than average
Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters	+2%	About as fast as average
Roofers	+1%	Little or no change

Structural Demand Drivers

The 11% projection for electricians reflects specific policy tailwinds: the Inflation Reduction Act accelerated residential EV charger installation, heat pump wiring, and solar panel systems. The Department of Energy's building electrification programs are creating durable electrical service demand that outpaces historical averages.

HVAC's 6% growth reflects heat pump adoption and aging residential equipment — a large fraction of the installed base is approaching replacement age. For plumbing, aging U.S. water infrastructure creates structural repair demand that the employment-growth projection alone doesn't fully capture.

The Implication for Your Phone Line

More jobs in the pipeline means more inbound calls. The trades growing fastest are the same ones where a 24/7 response advantage matters most — emergency electrical faults and HVAC failures don't wait until Monday. More inbound volume with the same phone coverage means more missed calls. Whoever answers first books the job.

Every source cited on this page links directly to a publicly accessible government data table. IBISWorld reports require a subscription; report titles and NAICS codes are provided for institutional or library access.

Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023

• Electricians (SOC 47-2111): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes472111.htm
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters (SOC 47-2152): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes472152.htm
• HVAC Mechanics and Installers (SOC 49-9021): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes499021.htm
• Roofers (SOC 47-2181): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes472181.htm
• Locksmiths and Safe Repairers (SOC 49-9094): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes499094.htm
• General Maintenance Workers (SOC 49-9071): https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes499071.htm

Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2022-2032 Edition

• Electricians: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
• Plumbers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters.htm
• HVAC Mechanics and Installers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm
• Roofers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/roofers.htm

Census Bureau

• SUSB 2021 Annual Data Tables: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/data/tables.html
• Nonemployer Statistics: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics.html
• Annual Business Survey: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs.html

IBISWorld Subscription Reports (2024 editions — institutional access required)

• Electrical Contractors & Other Wiring Installation in the US, NAICS 23821
• Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Contractors in the US, NAICS 23822
• Roofing Contractors in the US, NAICS 23816
• Access via: https://www.ibisworld.com/