Floor Layers Are 47 Times Rarer Than Labourers, and That Changes How You Hire Them
This is an employment analysis, not a cost guide.
The size of each trade
| Trade | People employed nationally |
|---|---|
| Construction Laborers | 1,096,800 |
| Electricians | 757,240 |
| Carpenters | 670,080 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters | 465,820 |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | 225,140 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 206,160 |
| Roofers | 135,490 |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | 82,820 |
| Tile and Stone Setters | 35,390 |
| Floor Layers | 23,250 |
Labourers are not a trade in the licensed sense — they are the general pool that every site draws on. The comparison matters because that pool sets the floor for what a day of work costs.
Why the small trades behave differently
A trade with 23,000 practitioners nationally has roughly 450 per state on average, and far fewer in small states. That is thin enough that a single crew's backlog is the market.
Small trades also tend to be specialists who travel. A floor layer may cover three counties. That travel time is in the quote as a minimum charge.
The practical consequence: in a small trade, the quote you get reflects whether that particular crew is busy, not what the work is worth.
The trades in the middle
Electricians at 757,000 and carpenters at 670,000 are large enough that there is always somebody available. Roofers at 135,000 are the first trade where a state-level shortage becomes plausible.
Drywall at 83,000, tile at 35,000 and flooring at 23,000 are where scheduling starts to drive price.
Frequently asked
Does a small trade mean worse value?
No, but it means less competition on price. Get a fourth quote in a small trade where you would take three in a large one.
Why are there so few floor layers?
Much flooring work is done by general installers rather than by people classified in that occupation, so the OEWS count understates the actual labour pool.
Updated October 2026