Business phone system for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors

Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in the United States

County Business Patterns counted 111,207 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in the U.S. in 2023 (NAICS 238220, Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors). They employed 1,214,761 people in mid-March and paid $89.5 billion in annual payroll. The average establishment has 10.9 employees. That is 32.7 establishments for every 100,000 residents.

California has the most (11,686), followed by Florida (9,353), Texas (8,966), and New York (7,061). Relative to population, Montana leads with 62.6 per 100,000 residents, and District of Columbia has the fewest at 5.3.

Why the phone matters for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors

Plumbing and HVAC calls are often emergencies: no heat, no cooling or water where it should not be. Homeowners call down a list until someone answers, so a missed call is frequently a lost job.

Calls plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors commonly handle:

• A homeowner calls because the air conditioning stopped working.
• A tenant calls about a burst pipe.
• A customer calls to book a seasonal tune-up.
• The dispatcher calls a customer with a technician's arrival time.
• A general contractor calls about rough-in timing.

Texting and after-hours calls

Contractors text arrival windows, technician names and invoices.

Emergency calls at night and on weekends are core business, so after-hours routing to an on-call technician or an AI receptionist that takes details matters.

How big plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors are

58.3% of U.S. plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023. 76.8% had fewer than ten. Most phone decisions in this industry are made for small teams, where one shared number and sensible routing matter more than a desk phone per person.

Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors by state

Establishment counts for the 51 states (and DC) where Census published a figure, with the rate per 100,000 residents.

Largest metro areas for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors

Census published plumbing and HVAC contractor counts for 920 metro and micropolitan areas. The 25 largest:

What a phone system costs a plumbing and HVAC contractor in the U.S.

The average U.S. plumbing and HVAC contractor has 10.9 employees, so the comparison uses an 11-person team. On a per-user plan that headcount sets the bill: $274.45 a month on Ooma Office Pro or $330.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core at list price (checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $219.00 a month for 11 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,332 less than RingCentral for a plumbing and HVAC contractor in the U.S. of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

How Callata works for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Texting from a local number requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee. Porting an existing number is free.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.