179 Handyman Market Statistics October 2026

Updated 179 primary-source citationsRefreshed monthly

On this page
  1. Key Takeaways
  2. How Big Is the Handyman Industry?
  3. How Much Money Does the Industry Make?
  4. How Many People Work as Handymen and Who Employs Them?
  5. How Much Do Handymen Earn?
  6. Do Handymen Need a License?
  7. How Much Demand Is There for Small Jobs?
  8. How Do Handymen Find Customers?
  9. Where Is the Handyman Industry Headed?
  10. Methodology and Sources

Handyman market statistics are hard to find because no government agency counts handymen as a group. The numbers sit under other labels: residential remodelers, general maintenance workers, solo operators. This page pulls them together from the agencies that produced them, and says which label each number uses.

The picture is clear once you line them up. The work is done mostly by very small firms, many with no employees. The pay is modest, the state license rules are a patchwork, and the jobs people hire out are mostly small ones.

Updated October 2026. Every figure links to the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a state agency, a federal filing or a named survey. Where a number is our own arithmetic on a public file, the text says so.

Key Takeaways

How Big Is the Handyman Industry?

The industry is big in head count and small in each shop. Most locations have fewer than five people, and the count keeps growing.

Handyman market statistics: Census County Business Patterns 2023 for residential remodelers, with establishment counts and payroll by employee size class Figure 1: Residential remodelers in 2023 by employee size class, with the establishment count and annual payroll in thousands of dollars for each. The count falls fast as the size class rises. Source: Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, table CB2300CBP, Jun 2025. Screenshot of the source page, captured 21 Oct 2026.

Which government category holds handyman businesses?

The Census Bureau files handyman work under residential building construction, in the same code as remodelers.

How many handyman and remodeler locations have paid staff?

Employer data covers locations with at least one paid worker. Solo operators are counted separately in the next question.

How many solo handymen are there?

A nonemployer is a business with no paid staff. Most solo handymen fall here.

How fast is the industry growing?

Growth has been strong since 2019 on every measure the Census tracks.

Which states have the most remodeler locations?

Four states hold about a third of all locations.

For the plumbing slice of this market, see plumbing industry numbers.

How Much Money Does the Industry Make?

Revenue per firm is near a million dollars, but that average hides a long tail of one-person shops. Two Census programs give two totals, and both are used here.

Economic Census 2022 row for residential remodelers showing firms, establishments, sales, payroll and employees Figure 2: The 2022 Economic Census row for residential remodelers. The identifying columns on the left are joined to the count and dollar columns on the right, with sales and payroll in thousands of dollars. Source: Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, table EC2200BASIC, Dec 2024. Screenshot of the source page, captured 21 Oct 2026.

How many firms and how much payroll?

What do the firm size numbers show?

The Statistics of U.S. Businesses counts whole companies, not locations.

How big are the nearby trades?

Where does the money go?

What work do remodelers actually sell?

How Many People Work as Handymen and Who Employs Them?

Most people in the closest BLS job are not freelance handymen. They are the in-house maintenance staff of apartment buildings, schools and hotels. The BLS has no handyman row, so this page uses general maintenance and repair workers.

Employment of general maintenance and repair workers in 2025 and 2035 by industry, from the BLS National Employment Matrix Figure 3: Where general maintenance and repair workers work, 2025 and projected 2035, in thousands. The top rows show the total, the self-employed and wage and salary jobs, and the lower rows show real estate, the largest employer. Rows from different parts of the table are joined here. Source: BLS National Employment Matrix, occupation 49-9071, Aug 2026. Screenshot of the source page, captured 21 Oct 2026.

How many general maintenance workers are there?

  • The BLS lists “Mechanics Handyman” as an example job title for this occupation (BLS Employment Projections, Aug 2026).
  • The wage and salary count was 1,607,700 (BLS National Employment Matrix, Aug 2026).
  • The employer survey counts 92,100 fewer jobs than the projections program, which uses a different method and adds the self-employed (BLS OEWS, May 2026).

Which states employ the most?

For plumbers alone, see the plumber workforce numbers.

Which industries employ them?

How many handyman-type workers are self-employed?

Self-employment is common in the trades next door, and rare in this occupation.

How Much Do Handymen Earn?

Pay for this job follows the employer, not the skill. A maintenance worker in manufacturing out-earns one in a hotel by a wide margin.

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook pay section for general maintenance and repair workers with median wages by industry Figure 4: Median annual wages for general maintenance and repair workers in May 2025, by industry, next to the all-occupation median. The occupation sits just under the national median. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, General Maintenance and Repair Workers, Aug 2026. Chart published by the source, captured 21 Oct 2026.

What is the pay range?

  • The mean annual wage was $53,780 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • The mean hourly wage was $25.86, and the median hourly wage was $23.84 (BLS OEWS, May 2026) (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • The lowest 10% earned under $35,350 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2026), or $17.00 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • The highest 10% earned over $77,180 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2026), or $37.11 an hour (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • The median for all occupations was $50,980, and for other installation, maintenance and repair jobs $57,440 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Aug 2026).

Which industries pay the most?

Which states pay the most?

  • The District of Columbia paid a median of $60,310 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Alaska paid $60,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Minnesota paid $59,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Washington paid $59,160, and Massachusetts $58,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2026) (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • West Virginia paid the least, $38,890 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).

What do nearby trades earn?

  • Carpenters: median $60,580 across 670,090 jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2026) (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Drywall installers: $58,930 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Tile and stone setters: $55,690 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Roofers: $55,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Painters: $49,400 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Construction laborers: $47,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2026).
  • Landscaping workers: $39,150, and janitors $36,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2026) (BLS OEWS, May 2026).

Do Handymen Need a License?

No national license exists. Each state sets its own dollar line, and the lines differ by thousands of dollars. Most states also drop the exemption if the job needs a permit, if the work is split into pieces, or if the worker advertises as a contractor.

Nevada State Contractors Board page listing handyman exemptions under NRS 624.031 Figure 5: Nevada’s handyman exemptions under state law. Item 6 sets the limit for repair and maintenance work at under $1,000 including labor and materials, with conditions. Source: Nevada State Contractors Board, Handyman Exemptions, Oct 2026. Screenshot of the source page, captured 21 Oct 2026.

What is the dollar limit in each state?

How do other states handle it?

Do trade licenses change the answer?

  • The BLS says complex tasks may require a license or certification in a specialty, such as electrical or plumbing work (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Aug 2026).

How Much Demand Is There for Small Jobs?

Small projects are where remodelers say the market is best. Households also pay for repairs they did not plan for, and they hire out most of what they do.

NAHB Remodeling Market Index table for the third quarter of 2026 with large, moderate and small project components Figure 6: The NAHB Remodeling Market Index by quarter from the third quarter of 2023 through the third quarter of 2026. The small project line, for jobs under $20,000, has stayed above the other two since 2023. Source: NAHB, Remodeling Market Index, Third Quarter 2026, Oct 2026. Screenshot of the source PDF, captured 21 Oct 2026.

How strong is the market for small projects?

How often do households pay for repairs?

How much of the work do owners hire out?

These figures are our own tabulation of the public file for owner-occupied homes, weighted as the Census instructs. They cover projects in the two years before the 2023 survey.

A handyman who works through hundreds of $700 jobs sends a quote and an invoice for each one. A job under $1,000 still needs a written price, a clear scope and a paid bill. That paperwork is the part of the trade that software can take over.

How Do Handymen Find Customers?

Lead platforms sell new jobs by the lead, and the largest one just had a hard year. Pros pay for each match, and the number of leads fell sharply.

Angi 2025 annual report table of revenue, service requests, leads and active professionals Figure 7: Angi’s 2025 results by revenue line and operating metric, including service requests, leads and active professionals, with the 2024 comparison. Source: Angi Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, Feb 2026. Screenshot of the source filing, captured 21 Oct 2026.

How big is the largest lead platform?

What does a pro have to do to get leads?

Is online still a minor channel?

  • Angi’s own filing says the digital share of home services remains low, with most consumers still searching for, selecting and hiring pros offline (Angi Inc., Form 10-K FY2025, Feb 2026).

Do the big retailers count handymen as customers?

Software that sends a clear quote within minutes of a call helps a small shop win the lead it already paid for. For how shops handle software today, see the CRM adoption numbers.

Where Is the Handyman Industry Headed?

Demand for this work is steady, not explosive. The jobs are projected to grow slightly faster than the average occupation, and many of the openings come from people who switch jobs or leave work.

BLS job outlook chart for general maintenance and repair workers compared with all occupations, 2025 to 2035 Figure 8: Projected employment change from 2025 to 2035 for general maintenance and repair workers, other installation, maintenance and repair jobs, and all occupations, with the projections table below the chart. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, General Maintenance and Repair Workers, Job Outlook, Aug 2026. Chart published by the source, captured 21 Oct 2026.

How fast will the occupation grow?

How fast are nearby trades growing?

What are the risks of the job?

Glossary

  • Nonemployer: a business with no paid staff, such as a solo handyman.
  • Establishment: one physical location of a business.
  • CBP: County Business Patterns, the Census Bureau’s yearly count of locations, jobs and payroll.
  • SUSB: Statistics of U.S. Businesses, the Census Bureau’s company-level count.
  • OEWS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the BLS survey of employers.
  • NAICS: the North American Industry Classification System, the code list used for businesses.
  • AHS: American Housing Survey, run by the Census Bureau for HUD.
  • RMI: Remodeling Market Index, a quarterly survey of remodelers by NAHB.
  • NAHB: National Association of Home Builders.
  • Pro: a service professional listed on a lead platform.

Methodology and Sources

Each statistic comes from the agency, company filing or survey that produced it, and each link points to that document. No roundup pages are used as sources. The government has no handyman category, so the page uses two stand-ins: residential remodelers (NAICS 236118, the code that lists “handyman construction service, residential building”) and general maintenance and repair workers (SOC 49-9071). Those groups also include remodeling firms and in-house building staff. Figures marked as our own division or tabulation were computed from the public files named in the citation. State license limits were read from state agency pages and statutes on 21 October 2026, and the date shown for them is the read date. BLS wage and employment values for May 2025 were read from the BLS public data API. The page is refreshed monthly.

Sources

Cite this page

Every number here links to the source that published it. Quote any of them with a link to this page or to the source.

plumbingcontractorsoftware.com. "179 Handyman Market Statistics October 2026." October 2026. https://plumbingcontractorsoftware.com/statistics/handyman-market-statistics/
<a href="https://plumbingcontractorsoftware.com/statistics/handyman-market-statistics/">Handyman Market Statistics</a> (plumbingcontractorsoftware.com, October 2026)
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