Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, PA contractor bond quotes
Bid, performance, and payment bonds for contractors working in Philadelphia, with county industry data. A quote is not a binder.
Construction is a substantial local industry around Philadelphia: 1,658 establishments in Philadelphia County, or 5.8% of the Pennsylvania total of 28,752. For contractors in that market, bonding capacity often decides which jobs they can chase.
Philadelphia-area construction statistics
| Measure (2023) | Philadelphia County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Construction establishments (all) | 1,658 | 28,752 |
| Construction employees | 12,067 | 260,932 |
| Annual payroll per construction employee | $88,562 | $77,438 |
| Commercial and institutional building contractors | 83 | 1,497 |
| Heavy and civil engineering contractors | 40 | 1,142 |
| Construction firms with fewer than 5 employees | 76% | 65% |
Census Bureau County Business Patterns, 2023 release.
Infrastructure is a bonded business: 40 heavy and civil engineering firms operate in Philadelphia County, bidding street, sewer, and water projects where bid bonds and final bonds are standard.
On the building side, 83 commercial and institutional building contractors work in Philadelphia County. School districts, hospitals, and municipalities in the area typically require bonds from general contractors, who in turn often require bonds from major subcontractors.
What Philadelphia's buildings say about upcoming work
Half of Philadelphia's housing units were built before 1950, a sign of an older city where renovation, utility replacement, and school modernization projects are common. Rehabilitation work carries unknown conditions, so sureties look closely at your experience with similar jobs.
About 21% of the city's housing units are in buildings of five or more units, versus 13% statewide. That level of multifamily construction brings private bonded work for contractors with the capacity to handle it.
Measured by homes, Philadelphia is a 748,270.0-unit city (64% single-family). For a surety, local scale matters less than your own record, but it tells you how much bonded work may be on the bid calendar.
Source: Census ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates; Vintage 2024 population estimates.
Public works bond rules that apply in Philadelphia
If you are bidding a public job in Philadelphia, check the solicitation against Public Works Contractors' Bond Law of 1967 (8 P.S. § 191 et seq.). That law sets when performance and payment bonds are required; projects funded and owned by the federal government fall under the Miller Act.
Small firms dominate local construction, with 76% employing fewer than five people. If you are among them, a clean balance sheet and CPA-prepared statements are the fastest route to larger bonds.
Philadelphia compared with other Pennsylvania markets
Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) draws on 2,700 construction establishments in its county. Lehigh County, home to Allentown, lists 673 construction businesses. Philadelphia's county ranks 9th of 30 profiled Pennsylvania cities for number of construction firms.
Philadelphia bond quote checklist
- Legal entity details and owners
- Owner name, project location, and bid date
- Project solicitation and required bond forms
- Personal financial information for indemnitors
- CPA-prepared statements for the last fiscal year
- Subcontractor and supplier references
Start a Philadelphia bond request
Philadelphia bond FAQ
Do Philadelphia public projects require performance bonds?
Generally yes, above thresholds set by Pennsylvania law and the owner. See the Pennsylvania page.
How big is the construction industry near Philadelphia?
The Census Bureau counted 1,658 construction establishments in Philadelphia County in 2023.
Can a new contractor in Philadelphia get a performance bond?
Often, yes. Sureties start new accounts with smaller limits and grow them with your track record; see bonding capacity.
Other bond pages near Philadelphia
Bond quotes in Pennsylvania · Bond types
Last updated October 15, 2026 · How we research