The Number of One-Person Construction Trade Firms Isn't Rising, But Revenue Is

At the lowest point of the housing downturn, from 2010 through 2015, the number of homes under construction increased by 131 percent. But, while demand for construction work rose, the number of one-person construction firms available for the work declined by 0.6 percent.

Using Census data, The National Association of Home Builders says that the average revenue for one-person construction trade firms fell to roughly $42,000 in 2010 and 2011 from over $52,000 in 2006. In 2015, revenue bounced back to over $52,000. The NAHB concludes that, "while the number of one-person construction firms has failed to grow since 2010, the aggregate dollar volume of construction work they perform has nevertheless increased substantially."

After 2010, however, while the numbers of homes under construction and construction trade employees increased consistently year after year, the number of one-person construction trade firms failed to follow suit. The number of one-person construction trade firms declined in three of the five most recent years for which data are available.

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