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5.0 Rating on Google
Dallas County TX Business Landscape: Crowded Professions, Growing Trades and Big Employers
GetPhound is an online marketing company for Dallas County businesses, and this Dallas County TX business landscape page reads fifteen trades from the Census Bureau next to what the county looks like for a business owner. The numbers show how crowded a trade is, how large its businesses run and where growth since 2017 has been, so a marketing plan can start from facts.
5.0 Rating on Google- 70,472Employer locations (2022)
- 1,587,323Employees at those locations
- -0.2 percentPopulation change, 2020 to 2023
- 1,040,669Housing units
- 2,982 per square mileResidents per square mile
How to read it
A large business county seen through fifteen trades
Dallas County, Texas had 70,472 employer locations in the 2022 County Business Patterns, employing 1,587,323 people. The table below follows fifteen trades that matter to local marketing, from roofers and dentists to restaurants and real estate offices. County Business Patterns counts employer locations only, so sole proprietors without employees are not in it, and the numbers describe 2022, not today.
The table has three useful columns. Per 10,000 residents shows how crowded a trade is. The comparison with the typical county tells you whether that crowding is normal. The change since 2017 shows whether the trade has been adding or losing locations. Together they tell a business owner whether to expect a crowded search page, a quiet one or a trade in transition.
Read the Dallas County business landscape as a map of competition, not of demand. This is a large county, with a metro of more than seven million around it. Many practices and offices here serve customers from outside the county, which can raise the counts above what residents alone would need.
The full table
Reading fifteen trades against the typical county
| Trade | Employer locations | Per 10,000 residents | Against the typical county | Staff under 10 | Staff of 20 or more | Change from 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential remodelers | 575 | 2.2 | 0.7 times | 90 of 100 | 26 | +45.2 percent |
| Roofing contractors | 227 | 0.9 | 1 times | 80 of 100 | 22 | +19.5 percent |
| Electrical contractors | 529 | 2 | 0.9 times | 65 of 100 | 107 | +10.9 percent |
| Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors | 713 | 2.7 | 0.8 times | 69 of 100 | 111 | +5.3 percent |
| Insurance agencies and brokerages | 1,281 | 4.9 | 1.4 times | 85 of 100 | 99 | +1.3 percent |
| Real estate agents and brokers | 1,265 | 4.9 | 1.7 times | 92 of 100 | 52 | +31.4 percent |
| Law offices | 2,179 | 8.4 | 2.8 times | 84 of 100 | 190 | +1.8 percent |
| Accounting and CPA firms | 522 | 2 | 1.5 times | 85 of 100 | 43 | -9.1 percent |
| Janitorial services | 435 | 1.7 | 1 times | 66 of 100 | 101 | +5.1 percent |
| Landscaping services | 499 | 1.9 | 0.6 times | 69 of 100 | 96 | +2.3 percent |
| Physicians offices | 2,181 | 8.4 | 2 times | 77 of 100 | 228 | -9.7 percent |
| Dentists | 1,492 | 5.7 | 2 times | 76 of 100 | 87 | -3.8 percent |
| Full-service restaurants | 2,080 | 8 | 1.2 times | 44 of 100 | 820 | +9.1 percent |
| General automotive repair | 535 | 2.1 | 0.8 times | 91 of 100 | 15 | -1.5 percent |
| Beauty salons | 564 | 2.2 | 1.1 times | 86 of 100 | 26 | +20.3 percent |
Source: Census County Business Patterns, 2022 and 2017. Only locations with employees are counted, so one-person businesses are missing. The typical county is the median among counties with 20,000 or more residents.
Crowded
Five professions where the competition is thick
Law offices lead: 2,179 locations, 8.4 per 10,000 residents and 2.8 times the typical county. Physicians' offices follow at 2,181 locations and 2 times typical, and dentists at 1,492 locations and 2 times. Real estate offices are at 1.7 times typical and accounting firms at 1.5 times.
Competition at that level changes the marketing. A new dentist or lawyer in Dallas County, Texas is not competing for attention among a handful of listings. The search page is full, the map pack is contested and reviews and clear service pages matter more than a bigger ad budget. These trades also tend to be small: 84 of every 100 law offices and 92 of every 100 real estate offices have fewer than ten staff, so a single owner's profile carries a lot of weight.
Several of these trades are also shrinking, at least by location count. Physicians' offices fell 9.7 percent since 2017, accountants 9.1 percent and dentists 3.8 percent. The data cannot say why, and consolidation into larger practices is one reasonable reading, not a finding.
Room to stand out
Trades with fewer competitors than the typical county
Landscaping services show 0.6 times the typical density, residential remodelers 0.7 times, general automotive repair 0.8 times, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors 0.8 times and electrical contractors 0.9 times. Those are all below the typical county, even though Dallas County is so large. A trade below the average is not necessarily easy, but a business that publishes clear service pages and keeps its Maps profile in order has fewer neighbors to out-shout.
Residential remodelers are the standout: locations rose 45.2 percent since 2017, the largest change of the fifteen, while 90 of every 100 have fewer than ten staff. That is a trade full of very small operators, and the growth suggests demand. A small owner with a good profile and good pages can compete.
Building
Residential permits by year since 2021
New homes drive demand for plumbers, electricians, roofers, landscapers and remodelers, and the trend in this county has been downward.
| Year | New residential units authorized |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,799 |
| 2022 | 17,275 |
| 2023 | 13,285 |
| 2024 | 12,711 |
| 2025 | 12,358 |
Census Building Permits Survey, new privately owned housing units authorized by permit.
The permit trend
Fewer new homes, more work on the homes that exist
Authorizations in Dallas County fell from 18,799 in 2021 to 12,358 in 2025. Population was roughly flat in the same stretch, and the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2023 estimate shows a change of -0.2 percent. A county with about 1,040,669 housing units and fewer new permits is a county where a growing share of contractor work is repair, replacement and remodeling, not new construction.
That fits the trade table. Roofing locations rose 19.5 percent since 2017 and remodelers 45.2 percent, which fits a county where storms are a regular event and more work goes into the homes already standing. A Dallas County contractor whose pitch is "new construction" faces a smaller market than in 2021, and one whose pitch is repair after storms or remodels for existing homes has the broader one.
The wider economy
The employment sectors behind these trades
Health care, retail and construction each account for about one worker in ten in the survey. Those workers are your customers.
| Sector | Workers | Share of workers |
|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 142,206 | 10.8 percent |
| Retail trade | 141,224 | 10.7 percent |
| Construction | 138,126 | 10.5 percent |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 123,897 | 9.4 percent |
| Manufacturing | 106,369 | 8.1 percent |
| Accommodation and food services | 96,061 | 7.3 percent |
Census ACS 5-year estimates 2018-2022, workers 16 and older by industry.
Where to start
Where to put the first month of work, by kind of owner
An owner in a trade with room
Build service pages and city pages for the places you serve, because fewer competitors do. Start with the cities where you already work, and use the coverage map to order them.
An owner who sells to other businesses
The 20-plus-staff column shows where the big buyers are. Content and pages that speak to a procurement reader, aimed at Las Colinas, Richardson or the Medical District, matter more than broad ads.
Questions
Questions about trades and numbers in Dallas County
What does it cost to market a business in a crowded Dallas County trade?
RankGuarantee™ landing pages are $495 a month for 25 pages, Organic Growth starts at $1,495 a month, and paid ads management is $895, $1,595 or $2,295 a month for one, two or three platforms, with ad spend separate. A crowded trade usually needs more reviews and more pages, but the management price does not change. No setup fee, no contract.
Why does Dallas County have so many law and medical offices per resident?
The data does not say, but a county with a large downtown, a major medical district and a metro of millions around it likely serves clients and patients from outside the county. Those offices are counted here, which raises the per-resident figure. Treat the density as a measure of competition, not of local demand.
Which trades have the most room to stand out?
The ones below the typical county in density: landscaping, remodeling, auto repair, plumbing and HVAC, and electrical. Room does not mean easy, but fewer competitors usually means a lower bar for useful pages and a healthy Maps profile to make a difference.
What do the changes since 2017 really tell me?
They show whether the count of employer locations rose or fell between 2017 and 2022, nothing more. Growth in remodelers, real estate offices, salons and roofers suggests active demand and more competitors. A fall in physicians' offices or accountants may reflect consolidation, so read it as a signal, not a verdict.
How old is the data behind this page?
No, and the page does not claim they are. The trade counts come from County Business Patterns 2017 and 2022, the employment sectors and household measures from the American Community Survey 2018-2022, and permits through 2025. Treat them as a well-sourced picture of the recent past.
Does a drop in new-home permits matter for contractors?
It matters for those who depend on new construction, since permits fell from 18,799 in 2021 to 12,358 in 2025. Repair, replacement and remodeling are less tied to permits and more tied to storms, age and ownership, so many contractors shift their pitch toward existing homes.
What if my line of work is missing from the table?
Yes. Use the closest trade as a guide, then ask what makes your customers different. We can look up other County Business Patterns categories for a specific trade and compare them to the typical county before you decide where to spend.
How do large employers change a marketing plan?
They change who the buyer is. The table shows how many locations in each trade have 20 or more staff: restaurants, doctors' offices and law offices lead. A business selling to those buyers needs pages that address purchasing and compliance, and a sales contact, not only a phone number for households.
Explore more
Services to Match the Trade You Just Read About
Start Here
- Search Engine OptimizationThe name map, the page set and how to choose an SEO company, agency or consultant for a county of dozens of city names.
- Digital MarketingA 90-day order of work for an office, a contractor or a shop, sequenced around the cities that actually send customers.
- Online MarketingA presence check for a county of separate cities: site, profile, listings, reviews, social, email and tracking, by kind of business.
- HomeSEO first, then paid search, Maps, AI search and the website, planned for a core, a ring and a set of hubs.
Get Found in Search
Paid Advertising
- Google Ads ManagementPaid search laid out by city tier and road, with a budget that follows hail, heat, freeze and fair weeks.
- PPC ManagementPay-per-click across Google, Bing and Meta, chosen by how crowded a trade is rather than by habit.
- Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram)Campaigns on Facebook and Instagram built around young households, renters, school districts and the big event weeks.
Website and Content
- Lead GenerationCalls and form fills from channels you control, tracked back to the city and the service that produced them.
- Website DesignOne website with a page for each city and service you cover, built to be found and to take calls from a phone.
- Content MarketingPages, answers and guides tied to the storms, fairs, move-ins and place names that really shape the county year.
Get in Touch
Tell Us Your Trade and We Will Place It on This Map
Name the trade and the cities you work in, and we will suggest where to start. Call 610-825-4363 or email hello@getphound.com.