Discover the Best and Worst States for Contractors

Are you a contractor looking for the ideal work location or a business owner planning to expand your team during the current construction labor shortage? To determine the best states for contractors, we conducted an extensive study of safety data and contractor demand across the U.S., then ranked all 50 states based on our findings.

To ascertain contractor safety in each state, we reviewed the number of injuries per 100,000 state residents from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data. To determine contractor demand in each state, we analyzed Google search volume trends for “contractor near me” over the past 12 months. Keep reading to learn about our findings and explore the best and worst states for contractors.

Key Takeaways

• West Virginia ranks No. 1 overall, with the lowest number of OSHA-reported injuries and the second-highest number of searches per capita for “contractor near me.”

• Pennsylvania has the highest demand for contractors, with the most searches per capita for “contractor near me.”
• The best states for contractors are:
  1. 1. West Virginia
  2. 2. New Jersey
  3. 3. New York
  4. 4. Indiana
  5. 5. Alabama
  6. 6. Rhode Island
  7. 7. Virginia
  8. 8. Delaware
  9. 9. Pennsylvania
  10. 10. South Carolina/North Carolina (tied)
• Nevada ranks No. 50 overall, with the highest number of OSHA-reported injuries and the lowest number of searches per capita for “contractor near me.”
• The worst states for contractors are:
  1. 1. Nevada
  2. 2. Colorado
  3. 3. California
  4. 4. Utah
  5. 5. North Dakota
  6. 6. Montana
  7. 7. Arizona
  8. 8. Hawaii
  9. 9. Idaho
  10. 10. South Dakota

Contractor Type	Least OSHA-Reported Injuries per Capita	Most OSHA-Reported Injuries per Capita	Most Demand per Capita	Least Demand per Capita	Overall Best States	Overall Worst States
Electrical	1. Wyoming 2. Oklahoma 3. Delaware 4. North Dakota 5. Arkansas	50. Hawaii 49. Idaho 48. Iowa 47. Colorado 46. Massachusetts	1. Wisconsin 2. Michigan 3. Connecticut 4. West Virginia 5. Florida	50. Hawaii 49. California 48. Nevada 47. Nebraska 46. New York	1. West Virginia 2. Delaware 3. Indiana 4. Michigan 5. Wyoming	50. Hawaii 49. California 48. Nevada 47. New Mexico 46. Alaska
Plumbing and HVAC	1. Wyoming 2. West Virginia 3. Alabama 4. Louisiana 5. Oklahoma	50. Tennessee 49. Minnesota 48. Nevada 47. North Dakota 46. Delaware	1. Delaware 2. Vermont 3. Wisconsin 4. Idaho 5. New Hampshire	50. Mississippi 49. Nevada 48. Kansas 47. Hawaii 46. Kentucky	1. West Virginia 2. Wyoming 3. Connecticut 4. New Jersey 5. Michigan	50. Nevada 49. North Dakota 48. Tennessee 47. Kentucky 46. Minnesota
Roofing	1. Delaware 2. Montana 3. Wyoming 4. South Dakota 5. Hawaii	50. Nevada 49. Colorado 48. Utah 47. Maine 46. Minnesota	1. Wisconsin 2. West Virginia 3. Maine 4. Vermont 5. Delaware	50. Hawaii 49. Nevada 48. Alaska 47. Oklahoma 46. Kansas	1. Delaware 2. New Jersey 3. Montana 4. Wyoming 5. South Dakota	50. Nevada 49. Kansas 48. Utah 47. Nebraska 46. Arizona

Key Takeaways

• Hawaii is the worst state for electricians, with the least demand and the most OSHA-reported electrical injuries.
• Electricians and roofers are most in demand in Wisconsin.
• Plumbing and HVAC professionals are most in demand in Delaware and least in demand in Mississippi.
• Delaware has the fewest OSHA-reported roofing injuries, and Nevada has the most.
• Wyoming has the fewest OSHA-reported electrical, plumbing, and HVAC injuries. 
• Tennessee has the most OSHA-reported plumbing and HVAC injuries.

Methodology 

JW Surety Bonds collected data from OSHA and Google Trends. All numbers were calculated per 100,000 state residents. The meta-ranking gave equal weight to the number of OSHA injuries and the number of searches for “contractor near me” over the past 12 months.

About JW Surety Bonds

JW Surety Bonds, the leading provider of surety bonds nationwide, offers businesses and individuals a comprehensive range of bonding solutions. Our expertise and dedication ensure a seamless bonding process, empowering clients to pursue their goals with confidence and peace of mind.

Fair Use Statement

Interested in the best locations for contractors? Feel free to share the findings of this article with others for noncommercial purposes only, but please provide a link back to this page so readers can access our full findings and methodology.