Self-Employed Plumbers: 178,663 Solo Plumbing and HVAC Businesses by State
The short answer
There were 178,663 plumbing and HVAC businesses with no employees in the US in 2023, according to Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics, up 12.8 percent from 158,446 in 2018. They outnumber employer establishments (111,207) and make up 62 percent of all businesses in the trade, but averaged $78,389 in receipts each. Texas has the most, 26,039.
What the table shows
Almost every federal statistic about plumbers leaves out the self-employed. BLS employment counts, the Economic Census and payroll data all cover businesses with employees. The Census Bureau’s Nonemployer Statistics fills the gap: it counts every business that files a tax return in the industry but has no paid employees, which in plumbing means the owner-operator with a van. The data are published for NAICS 23822 (plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors) by state.
| State | Solo businesses 2023 | Change since 2018 | Avg receipts | Share of all trade businesses | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 26,039 | +19.8% | $75,509 | 74% | 86 |
| Florida | 18,387 | +44.1% | $58,271 | 66% | 82 |
| California | 16,432 | +2.0% | $84,031 | 58% | 42 |
| New York | 8,900 | +10.7% | $67,499 | 56% | 45 |
| Georgia | 8,030 | +13.9% | $79,172 | 72% | 73 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,128 | +3.6% | $90,077 | 60% | 47 |
| Illinois | 5,849 | +6.7% | $76,967 | 59% | 46 |
| North Carolina | 5,528 | +9.5% | $67,911 | 58% | 52 |
| Ohio | 5,024 | +4.3% | $75,481 | 63% | 43 |
| Tennessee | 4,944 | +11.5% | $92,574 | 72% | 70 |
| New Jersey | 4,453 | +5.2% | $93,844 | 56% | 48 |
| Virginia | 4,364 | +11.7% | $77,375 | 61% | 50 |
| Michigan | 4,248 | +4.1% | $72,400 | 61% | 42 |
| Massachusetts | 3,980 | +1.8% | $102,610 | 56% | 57 |
| Arizona | 3,899 | +28.8% | $81,686 | 60% | 53 |
| Maryland | 3,562 | +15.4% | $70,561 | 64% | 58 |
| Colorado | 3,387 | +16.0% | $90,212 | 56% | 58 |
| Alabama | 3,142 | +7.8% | $80,909 | 66% | 62 |
| South Carolina | 3,131 | +8.8% | $80,973 | 65% | 59 |
| Missouri | 3,116 | +5.9% | $77,157 | 62% | 50 |
| Louisiana | 2,826 | +9.7% | $77,494 | 64% | 62 |
| Indiana | 2,675 | +7.4% | $70,400 | 57% | 39 |
| Kentucky | 2,571 | +10.0% | $82,559 | 65% | 57 |
| Oklahoma | 2,559 | +11.4% | $82,397 | 62% | 64 |
| Mississippi | 2,193 | +5.8% | $71,499 | 76% | 75 |
| Arkansas | 2,182 | +3.2% | $80,286 | 66% | 72 |
| Connecticut | 1,895 | +7.2% | $104,433 | 59% | 52 |
| Wisconsin | 1,844 | +4.8% | $102,516 | 49% | 31 |
| Minnesota | 1,675 | -1.2% | $88,485 | 48% | 29 |
| Washington | 1,367 | +11.6% | $93,855 | 38% | 18 |
| Kansas | 1,294 | +6.6% | $83,692 | 56% | 44 |
| Utah | 1,258 | +28.1% | $81,041 | 47% | 37 |
| Nevada | 1,176 | +35.2% | $59,770 | 56% | 37 |
| Maine | 1,157 | +14.7% | $98,184 | 60% | 83 |
| Iowa | 1,134 | -2.2% | $74,857 | 51% | 35 |
| New Hampshire | 1,015 | +7.9% | $119,479 | 57% | 73 |
| New Mexico | 886 | +8.2% | $69,249 | 56% | 42 |
| Oregon | 820 | +15.0% | $100,850 | 38% | 19 |
| Nebraska | 774 | +14.8% | $71,575 | 48% | 39 |
| Idaho | 741 | +13.5% | $86,993 | 45% | 38 |
| West Virginia | 570 | -1.7% | $71,521 | 58% | 32 |
| Hawaii | 489 | +1.5% | $90,200 | 55% | 34 |
| Vermont | 488 | +11.9% | $109,033 | 62% | 75 |
| Rhode Island | 483 | +11.8% | $71,921 | 49% | 44 |
| Montana | 433 | +20.9% | $102,559 | 38% | 39 |
| Delaware | 422 | +14.4% | $87,528 | 55% | 41 |
| South Dakota | 400 | +10.8% | $84,840 | 50% | 44 |
| Wyoming | 243 | +16.3% | $81,486 | 44% | 42 |
| North Dakota | 232 | -8.3% | $92,297 | 41% | 30 |
| Alaska | 188 | +3.3% | $85,447 | 42% | 26 |
| District of Columbia | 130 | +3.2% | $40,685 | 78% | 19 |
Sources: Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2023 and 2018 (NAICS 23822, all legal forms); County Business Patterns 2023 for employer establishments; 2022 population estimates. Shares and rates calculated by The Plumbing Brief.
Sourced figures
- US plumbing and HVAC nonemployer businesses, 2023: 178,663; receipts $14.0 billion. 2018: 158,446 and $10.3 billion. Source: Census Bureau, sum of state rows.
- Employer establishments in the same industry, 2023: 111,207. Source: Census Bureau, County Business Patterns.
- Average receipts per nonemployer business, 2023: $78,389; 2018: $64,748. Source: calculated.
- Highest average receipts: New Hampshire $119,479; lowest: District of Columbia $40,685. Source: calculated.
- Fastest growth in count 2018 to 2023: Florida +44.1 percent, Nevada +35.2, Arizona +28.8. Source: calculated.
- Highest solo share of all trade businesses: District of Columbia 78 percent; lowest: Montana 38 percent. Source: calculated.
What we calculated
Most plumbing businesses have no employees, but they earn little of the money
Formula. Nonemployer count and receipts against employer establishments and revenue.
Calculation. 178,663 solo businesses against 111,207 employer establishments: 62 percent of businesses. Solo receipts in 2022 were $13.5 billion against $297.6 billion for employer firms in the 2022 Economic Census: about 4.3 percent of combined revenue.
Finding. By count, the trade is mostly one-person businesses. By revenue it is overwhelmingly employer firms. Both statements are true and are often confused.
Limitations. Nonemployer counts include part-time and side businesses; some are owners who also hold a payroll job. Receipts are gross business receipts, not income.
The solo trade grew 13 percent in five years
Formula. Change in nonemployer count, 2018 to 2023.
Calculation. 158,446 to 178,663.
Finding. Self-employment in plumbing and HVAC kept growing through a tight labour market, consistent with tradespeople going independent.
Limitations. Nonemployer counts are derived from tax filings and can rise when people start filing for side work.
If you quote one number
- 178,663 US plumbing and HVAC businesses have no employees (2023).
- They averaged $78,389 in annual receipts.
- Solo businesses are 62 percent of businesses in the trade.
Download the data
Counts, receipts, averages, growth, solo share and per-resident rates. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Attribution: The Plumbing Brief.
Self-employed plumbing and HVAC businesses by state, 2023 with 2018 comparison (CSV)
How this report was built
Methodology
Sources. Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics state files for 2023, 2022 and 2018 (NAICS 23822, all legal forms of organization); County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 238220 employer establishments); 2022 state population estimates. Downloaded from www2.census.gov on 4 October 2026.
National totals. Sum of the 50 states and DC; the national nonemployer file publishes this industry only at the four-digit level.
Retrieval date. 4 October 2026.
Data limitations
- Nonemployer Statistics covers businesses with no paid employees that file business income tax returns; it counts businesses, not people.
- NAICS 23822 combines plumbing with HVAC.
- Receipts are noise-protected by the Census Bureau and some state values carry quality flags.
- Employer counts (CBP, establishments) and nonemployer counts (businesses) are different units; the solo share is indicative.
Source quality ranking
Tier 1. US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, County Business Patterns and population estimates.
Tier 2. None used. Tier 3. None used.
Summary for reporters
The US had 178,663 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning businesses with no employees in 2023, according to Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics, up 12.8 percent from 2018. They outnumber the 111,207 employer establishments in the trade and make up 62 percent of its businesses, but averaged $78,389 in receipts and account for roughly 4 percent of the industry’s revenue, according to an analysis by The Plumbing Brief.
Angles this supports
- The one-truck plumber is the most common business in the trade
- Solo plumbing businesses up 13 percent since 2018
- The invisible plumbers: who federal job counts leave out
- Texas leads the country in self-employed plumbers
Questions this answers
How many self-employed plumbers are there? 178,663 plumbing and HVAC businesses had no employees in 2023 (Census Bureau). The data combine plumbing with HVAC.
How much does a self-employed plumber make? Average business receipts were $78,389 in 2023. Receipts are gross revenue, before expenses.
Are most plumbing businesses one-person shops? Yes by count: 62 percent of plumbing and HVAC businesses have no employees.
Which state has the most self-employed plumbers? Texas, with 26,039 nonemployer businesses.
Is self-employment in plumbing growing? Yes, 12.8 percent from 2018 to 2023.
How to cite this report
The Plumbing Brief, “Self-Employed Plumbers: 178,663 Solo Plumbing and HVAC Businesses by State”, https://theplumbingbrief.com/self-employed-plumbers/, accessed [date].
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04.
