NAICS 238220

HVAC, Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors in California

Establishments primarily engaged in installing and servicing heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and fire-suppression systems in residential and commercial buildings. The Census reports these trades together under NAICS 238220, so the figures on this page cover all of them combined.

Establishments (2023)
11,686
Statewide, California
Employees
126,947
Mid-March employment
Annual payroll
$11B
All establishments
Avg. establishment size
10.9
Employees per establishment

What acquirers look at

Recurring maintenance contracts, emergency pricing power and licensed-technician scarcity make the mechanical trades the most consolidated category in small business. Owner age skews high and private equity has been rolling them up since 2019. Plumbing is frequently acquired as a bolt-on to an existing HVAC platform to share dispatch and trucks.

HVAC & Plumbing by county

Ranked by establishment count, 2023 County Business Patterns. For the crowded-versus-underserved reading, see the saturation ranking, which ranks by establishments per resident instead.

#CountyEstablishmentsPer 10k residentsShare of state
1Los Angeles County2,7652.923.7%
2San Diego County1,0723.39.2%
3Orange County1,0283.38.8%
4Riverside County8793.57.5%
5San Bernardino County5632.54.8%
6Santa Clara County5122.74.4%
7Sacramento County4612.83.9%
8Alameda County3732.33.2%
9Ventura County3354.02.9%
10Contra Costa County3242.82.8%
11Sonoma County2625.42.2%
12San Mateo County2333.12.0%
13Fresno County2292.22.0%
14Placer County2094.71.8%
15Kern County2082.21.8%
16San Joaquin County2022.51.7%
17Santa Barbara County1854.21.6%
18San Francisco County1622.01.4%
19Stanislaus County1462.61.2%
20Monterey County1313.01.1%
21San Luis Obispo County1214.31.0%
22Solano County1102.40.9%
23Tulare County1042.10.9%
24Santa Cruz County1034.00.9%
25Marin County1003.90.9%

Counties in California

HVAC & Plumbing in Los AngelesHVAC & Plumbing in San DiegoHVAC & Plumbing in OrangeHVAC & Plumbing in RiversideHVAC & Plumbing in San BernardinoHVAC & Plumbing in Santa ClaraHVAC & Plumbing in AlamedaHVAC & Plumbing in SacramentoHVAC & Plumbing in Contra CostaHVAC & Plumbing in FresnoHVAC & Plumbing in KernHVAC & Plumbing in VenturaHVAC & Plumbing in San FranciscoHVAC & Plumbing in San JoaquinHVAC & Plumbing in San MateoHVAC & Plumbing in StanislausHVAC & Plumbing in SonomaHVAC & Plumbing in TulareHVAC & Plumbing in SolanoHVAC & Plumbing in PlacerHVAC & Plumbing in Santa BarbaraHVAC & Plumbing in MontereyHVAC & Plumbing in MercedHVAC & Plumbing in San Luis ObispoHVAC & Plumbing in Santa CruzHVAC & Plumbing in MarinHVAC & Plumbing in YoloHVAC & Plumbing in ButteHVAC & Plumbing in El DoradoHVAC & Plumbing in ShastaHVAC & Plumbing in ImperialHVAC & Plumbing in MaderaHVAC & Plumbing in KingsHVAC & Plumbing in NapaHVAC & Plumbing in HumboldtHVAC & Plumbing in NevadaHVAC & Plumbing in SutterHVAC & Plumbing in YubaHVAC & Plumbing in MendocinoHVAC & Plumbing in San BenitoHVAC & Plumbing in LakeHVAC & Plumbing in TehamaHVAC & Plumbing in TuolumneHVAC & Plumbing in CalaverasHVAC & Plumbing in SiskiyouHVAC & Plumbing in AmadorHVAC & Plumbing in GlennHVAC & Plumbing in LassenHVAC & Plumbing in Del NorteHVAC & Plumbing in ColusaHVAC & Plumbing in PlumasHVAC & Plumbing in InyoHVAC & Plumbing in MariposaTrinityHVAC & Plumbing in MonoHVAC & Plumbing in ModocSierraAlpine

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.