Trade Business Data

By Muhammet Çay

Available datasets

  • Trade profiles — Profiles for ten skilled-trade and field-service business categories. Each record combines a trade identifier, occupation mapping, cost ranges, pricing context, and calculator defaults.
  • State LLC records — LLC formation and related state-level filing records for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
  • Trade license records — Trade-by-state licensing research for the currently collected states and trade categories. The record includes jurisdiction notes as well as fee facts.
  • Benchmark observations — Federal benchmark facts and dated commercial price observations used to inform cost assumptions.
  • LLC costs by state — A view of the state dataset focused on LLC formation, annual filing, minimum state tax, and publication requirements.
  • Contractor license cost index — States ranked by the state fees for a first trade license, across ten trades.
  • Trade license fees — A view of the license dataset focused on fees attached to trade and state licensing records.
  • Trade business profit margins — IRS sole proprietor sector data and methodology.
  • Contractor license bonds — Compare sourced security amounts and distinguish them from bond premiums.

All four underlying datasets have CSV and JSON REST exports. See each dataset page for column descriptions and download links. Licensing covers 15 states so far, and coverage varies by trade. Official fee facts and market observations have different meanings; read the methodology before combining them.

Free to cite with attribution. Suggested citation: “Trade Business Guide, [dataset], accessed [your access date].”

Last updated: October 30, 2026