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How do painters in New Jersey get more customers from Google and AI search?
Short answer: Painters in New Jersey get found online with a website that shows their license number, names the towns they serve such as Newark, Jersey City and Paterson, and collects real local reviews. Licensing runs through the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration. The state had 1,030 businesses with staff in this Census category in 2022.
- Licensing body: NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration.
- Home improvement contractors must show their registration number (HIC reg.#) in all advertisements, contracts and on vehicles.
- 1,030 businesses with staff in 2022, 12th of 50 states; 92% have fewer than 10 staff.
- Largest cities: Newark, Jersey City and Paterson.
- Coldest month January (about 32°F), warmest July (about 75°F), statewide average.
Do painters need a license in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, the licensing body for this work is NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration.
License or registration types named by the state: Home Improvement Contractor registration.
- Any business making or selling residential home improvements must register yearly with the Division unless exempt. This covers concrete, masonry, fencing and painting at homes.
- Jobs over $500 need a written contract that shows the registration number.
- Licensed plumbers and electricians working within their trade do not need to register as home improvement contractors.
Homeowners can check a license on the state lookup page. Put your number where they will look for it.
License numbers in ads and on websites
Home improvement contractors must show their registration number (HIC reg.#) in all advertisements, contracts and on vehicles. Tree care ads must include the business registration number.
What do homeowners in New Jersey’s biggest cities search for?
Google autocomplete for painter searches in each city (job-seeker searches removed):
Newark
- coach painters newark
- house painters newark ohio
- newark coach painters
- newark to do
- painters and decorators newark
- painters newark nj
- painters newark ohio
- painters per day
Jersey City
- ceramic painting jersey city
- driveway painting jersey city
- face painter jersey city
- face painting jersey city
- jersey city painters & flooring
- pottery painting jersey city
- professional painters jersey city
Paterson
- painters in paterson nj
- patterson painters kelso
Elizabeth
- elizabeth city painters
- elizabeth fraser primitive painters
- elizabeth murray painters progress
- elizabeth street painters
- mpa painters elizabeth nj
- painters elizabeth nj
- painting elizabeth 1
- port elizabeth painters
Trenton
- painters trenton nj
Source: Google autocomplete suggestions, checked November 8, 2026. Suggestions change over time.
What does a year of painter work look like in New Jersey?
Publish each seasonal page four to six weeks ahead.
| Month | Avg temp | Jobs to plan for (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | interior painting and cabinets |
| February | 34°F | interior work, exterior quotes |
| March | 41°F | interior work, exterior quotes |
| April | 52°F | interior work, exterior quotes |
| May | 61°F | exterior painting, decks |
| June | 70°F | exterior painting, decks |
| July | 75°F | exterior work early and late in the day, interiors |
| August | 74°F | exterior work early and late in the day, interiors |
| September | 67°F | exterior painting, decks |
| October | 55°F | exterior painting, decks |
| November | 45°F | interior work, exterior quotes |
| December | 37°F | interior work, exterior quotes |
Temperatures: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide data. Job column: our planning suggestion, not survey data.
How many painting contractors compete in New Jersey’s main cities?
| City | County | Businesses with staff | Residents per business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark | Essex County | 90 | 9,457 |
| Jersey City | Hudson County | 38 | 18,565 |
| Paterson | Passaic County | 57 | 9,007 |
| Elizabeth | Union County | 82 | 6,984 |
| Trenton | Mercer County | 33 | 11,566 |
Competition is tightest around Elizabeth (Union County), with one business for every 6,984 residents, and loosest around Jersey City, at one per 18,565.
Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 and County Population Estimates 2023. Counts businesses with paid employees only.
How many painting contractors are in New Jersey?
The Census Bureau counted 1,030 businesses with employees in New Jersey in 2022, in the category “Painting and wall covering contractors”. That ranks New Jersey 12th of 50 states, a mid-sized market, and 3% of the US total. 92% of them have fewer than 10 staff, and 29 have 20 or more.
Together they employ 4,094 people, with an average yearly payroll of $235,083 per business. The three busiest counties hold 27% of them, so the work is spread across the state.
With 9,290,841 residents (Census, July 2023), that is one business for every 9,020 people, against 8,807 nationally: close to the US average.
New Jersey next to its neighbors
| State | Businesses | Residents per business | Under 10 staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 1,030 | 9,020 | 92% |
| Delaware | 118 | 8,745 | 86% |
| New York | 2,582 | 7,580 | 92% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,169 | 11,088 | 88% |
Counties with the most painting contractors
| County | Businesses | Residents per business |
|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | 101 | 9,483 |
| Essex County | 90 | 9,457 |
| Morris County | 89 | 5,780 |
| Monmouth County | 83 | 7,745 |
| Union County | 82 | 6,984 |
| Ocean County | 78 | 8,451 |
| Burlington County | 69 | 6,800 |
| Passaic County | 57 | 9,007 |
| Middlesex County | 54 | 15,993 |
| Atlantic County | 46 | 5,983 |
21 of New Jersey’s counties have at least one. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022.
How big are they?
Businesses by number of employees, 2022: 815 with 1-4 staff, 131 with 5-9 staff, 54 with 10-19 staff, 23 with 20-49 staff, 6 with 50+ staff.
Where New Jersey is growing
New homes and new owners bring new work. New Jersey's population changed +0.2% from July 2020 to July 2023. The fastest-growing counties with 50,000 or more people:
- Ocean County: 659,197 people, +3.2% since 2020, 78 painting contractors
- Gloucester County: 308,423 people, +1.9% since 2020, 36 painting contractors
- Burlington County: 469,167 people, +1.6% since 2020, 69 painting contractors
- Warren County: 111,252 people, +1.6% since 2020, 6 painting contractors
- Sussex County: 146,132 people, +1.5% since 2020, 11 painting contractors
Source: US Census Bureau, County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023.
What should a New Jersey painter website show?
- Your license or registration number where people can see it, even where the state does not require it in ads.
- A service area list that names real counties and towns, for example Bergen County, Essex County and Morris County.
- Seasonal pages published before April, so they are found when demand starts.
- Real reviews from local jobs, with the town named, and photos of your own work.
New Jersey questions
Who licenses painters in New Jersey?
NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor registration. Any business making or selling residential home improvements must register yearly with the Division unless exempt. This covers concrete, masonry, fencing and painting at homes. Jobs over $500 need a written contract that shows the registration number. Licensed plumbers and electricians working within their trade do not need to register as home improvement contractors.
How many painting contractors are there in New Jersey?
The US Census Bureau counted 1,030 businesses with employees in New Jersey in 2022 in the category Painting and wall covering contractors, and 92% of them have fewer than 10 staff.
Which county in New Jersey has the most painting contractors?
Bergen County, with 101 businesses with employees in 2022 (Census County Business Patterns).
Do I need my license number on my website in New Jersey?
Home improvement contractors must show their registration number (HIC reg.#) in all advertisements, contracts and on vehicles. Tree care ads must include the business registration number.
What do people in Newark search for when they need a painter?
Google autocomplete for Newark shows searches such as “coach painters newark”, “house painters newark ohio”, “newark coach painters” and “newark to do”.
When is the busiest season for painters in New Jersey?
New Jersey’s statewide average runs from about 32°F in January to about 75°F in July (NOAA, 1991 to 2020).
Sources
- US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (state and county files)
- US Census Bureau, City, Town and County Population Estimates, Vintage 2023
- NOAA NCEI, nClimDiv statewide temperature and degree days, 1991 to 2020
- Google autocomplete suggestions for the cities named, checked November 2026
- https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/hic/Pages/FAQ.aspx
- https://www.nj.gov/njbte/licensing/licensing/licensing-te-teo/
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