Job outlook for private contractors in the United States

Private contractor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected private contractor job growth rate is 8% from 2018-2028.
About 36,400 new jobs for private contractors are projected over the next decade.
Private contractor salaries have increased 8% for private contractors in the last 5 years.
There are over 11,968 private contractors currently employed in the United States.
There are 13,902 active private contractor job openings in the US.
The average private contractor salary is $45,674.

Are private contractor jobs in demand?

Yes, private contractor jobs are in demand. Private contractor demand is projected to grow 8% from 2018 to 2028.

Private contractor job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of private contractor jobs and the average private contractor salary over time.

Private contractor jobs over time

Private contractor job growth rate over time

Year	# of jobs	% of population
2021	11,968	0.00%
2020	11,037	0.00%
2019	11,254	0.00%
2018	10,752	0.00%
2017	9,998	0.00%

Average private contractor salary over time

Private contractor salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$45,674	$21.96	+2.5%
2024	$44,577	$21.43	+1.5%
2023	$43,917	$21.11	+1.8%
2022	$43,136	$20.74	+1.7%
2021	$42,402	$20.39	+1.5%

Top private contractor jobs near you

Private contractor jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of private contractor job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where private contractors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Most common states for private contractors

Rank	State	Population	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	New Hampshire	1,342,795	24	2%
2	Montana	1,050,493	24	2%
3	District of Columbia	693,972	17	2%
4	North Dakota	755,393	13	2%
5	Texas	28,304,596	252	1%
6	Virginia	8,470,020	115	1%
7	New York	19,849,399	113	1%
8	Pennsylvania	12,805,537	110	1%
9	New Jersey	9,005,644	72	1%
10	Massachusetts	6,859,819	61	1%
11	Michigan	9,962,311	56	1%
12	Missouri	6,113,532	46	1%
13	Oregon	4,142,776	43	1%
14	Louisiana	4,684,333	42	1%
15	Connecticut	3,588,184	35	1%
16	Maryland	6,052,177	32	1%
17	West Virginia	1,815,857	27	1%
18	Maine	1,335,907	17	1%
19	Vermont	623,657	8	1%
20	Delaware	961,939	6	1%

Most common cities for private contractors

Rank	City	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. salary
1	New Bern	2	7%	$46,782
2	Myrtle Beach	2	6%	$45,548
3	Jacksonville	2	3%	$45,633
4	Greenville	2	2%	$47,353
5	Lynchburg	2	2%	$55,558
6	Roanoke	2	2%	$53,642
7	Chesapeake	2	1%	$58,482
8	Madison	2	1%	$47,291
9	Norfolk	2	1%	$58,830
10	Reno	2	1%	$48,286
11	Rockford	2	1%	$65,275
12	Chicago	3	0%	$67,033
13	Indianapolis	3	0%	$50,165
14	Boston	2	0%	$82,143
15	Charlotte	2	0%	$42,060
16	Jacksonville	2	0%	$45,289
17	Las Vegas	2	0%	$45,707
18	Minneapolis	2	0%	$49,710
19	Raleigh	2	0%	$45,650

Private contractor jobs

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