Houston, Texas
Complete analysis of 578 contractors across 8 trades.
**MARKET MATURITY: Emerging** — At 5.4% AI-ready, Houston is an emerging market—early adopters haven't yet established dominance. Maximum opportunity for those who act now.
- •94.6% of contractors in Houston are invisible to AI systems
- •Plumber lead with 50% AI-ready
- •Houston ranks +9.1 points above Texas average
- •Only 28% have proper schema markup
"In a competitive market like Houston, the contractors who've invested in their digital presence are pulling ahead. But even here, we're seeing that most businesses haven't optimized for AI discovery — it's still early enough to establish dominance."
— Simon Bergeron, Co-Founder, VerifiedNode
Top Performers by Trade
Scores based on Verified Node AI Trust Index
The Digital Divide
Of 578 contractors in Houston, only 31 (5.4%) have the digital signals AI assistants surface. The other 547 are effectively invisible when consumers ask ChatGPT for recommendations.
Market Analysis
Houston offers an accessible market with 578 contractors across 8 trades. AI competition is low—only 5.4% are optimized. Now is the time to act.
Provincial Comparison
58 cities analyzed
Schema Opportunity
28% of contractors in Houston use structured data. The other 416 are missing a major AI visibility opportunity.
Leaders & Laggards
Plumber lead with 50% AI visibility, while Painter lag behind at 0%. This 50-point gap represents an opportunity for businesses in less optimized trades.
The Middle Class Problem
180 contractors in Houston score "Good" but not "Excellent." The paradox: moving up often takes less effort than getting here. One afternoon of schema work could push them through.
The Review Paradox
Top 10% contractors in Houston average 973 reviews vs 38 for the bottom 50% — that's 25.3x more. But here's the catch: some businesses with lots of reviews still score poorly (33.5/100 AI score). Reviews alone aren't enough.
Recommended Actions
Score Distribution
AI Visibility by Trade
Average score indicates relative AI visibility by trade
Vertical Comparison
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| Trade | Businesses | Avg Score | AI-Ready | Website | Schema | Competition | Top Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General-contractor | 228 | 43.1 | 5.7% | 100% | 24% | Medium | Paradigm Roof+Shield 90/100 | |
| General Contractor | 124 | 51.9 | 7.3% | 100% | 32% | Medium | Clean Air Houston Pro 89/100 | |
| Landscaper | 69 | 43.8 | 0% | 100% | 22% | Low | Houston Landscape Pros 69/100 | |
| Electrician | 59 | 47.3 | 1.7% | 100% | 27% | Low | Abacus Plumbing, Air Conditioning, & Electrical 87/100 | |
| HVAC Contractor | 52 | 52.4 | 5.8% | 100% | 37% | Low | Clean Air Houston Pro 89/100 | |
| Roofer | 43 | 53.9 | 9.3% | 100% | 33% | Low | Integris Roofing Houston 87/100 | |
| Plumber | 2 | 58.5 | 50% | 100% | 50% | Medium | Hot Water Guys 87/100 | |
| Painter | 1 | 35 | 0% | 100% | 0% | Low | Kyrios creations 35/100 |
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Methodology
This analysis aggregates data from 578 contractors across 8 trades in Houston. Scores are calculated using our proprietary AI Trust Index.
Google Maps data via Apify