Market Data

Best Cities to Open an HVAC Business in 2026 (Market Data)

Where should you open an hvac business? Free U.S. Census data ranks the least- and most-saturated plumbing & hvac contractors markets across 387 metros. Find the cities with the most room to grow.

Updated 2026

There are 93,956 plumbing & hvac contractors across the 387 U.S. metros we track - an average of 32.5 per 100,000 residents (the typical metro has 31.9). The least-saturated markets have the most room for a well-marketed HVAC business. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (2022) and Population Estimates (2023).

Most underserved · plumbing & hvac contractors per 100k

Beckley, WV13.5Parkersburg, WV13.6McAllen, TX13.8Wheeling, WV16.2Wildwood, FL16.5Brownsville, TX16.9Morristown, TN16.9Hanford, CA17Rome, GA17Eagle Pass, TX17.3

Most saturated · plumbing & hvac contractors per 100k

Barnstable Town, MA91.1Bozeman, MT82.3St. George, UT68.7Helena, MT67.6Hot Springs, AR65.1Cape Coral, FL64.1Grand Junction, CO63.3Lewiston, ME63.3Portland, ME59.5Billings, MT56.9

All 387 plumbing & hvac contractors markets by state

Number shown is plumbing & hvac contractors per 100,000 residents. Lower = less saturated.

Plumbing & HVAC Contractors market - FAQ

How many plumbing & hvac contractors are there in the US?

Across the 387 U.S. metros we track, there are 93,956 plumbing & hvac contractors, or about 32.5 per 100,000 residents on average. Counts are Census County Business Patterns establishments, not individual practitioners.

Which U.S. city is the least saturated for plumbing & hvac contractors?

Beckley, WV has the fewest plumbing & hvac contractors per capita among the metros we rank: 13.5 per 100,000 residents.

Which U.S. city is the most saturated for plumbing & hvac contractors?

Barnstable Town, MA has the most plumbing & hvac contractors per capita among the metros we rank: 91.1 per 100,000 residents.

How does the plumbing & hvac contractors market ranking work?

We rank 387 metros from lowest to highest plumbing & hvac contractors per 100,000 residents using U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns establishment counts and Census Population Estimates. Lower rank means less saturated.