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Home / General Contractors / Massachusetts
How to become a general contractor in Massachusetts
Most general contractors in Massachusetts start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.
Pick your way in
Earn while you learn
A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.
- Pay
- From day one
- In MA
- 26 registered programs
Classroom first
Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.
- Pay
- You pay tuition
- In MA
- 9 schools with programs
Start on a crew
Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.
- Pay
- Paid on the job
- Start
- No experience needed
The license steps
Get hired or start training
Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.
Work as a general contractor
Run your own shop
To bid and contract on your own you need a general contractor license or registration.
- Issued by
- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation - Home Improvement Contractor
$97,850
a year is the median for general contractors in Massachusetts ($47.04 an hour, May 2025).3
Pay by city and percentile- Boston–Cambridge$48.02
- Worcester$45.46
- Springfield$40.18
- Barnstable Town$39.60
- Amherst Town–Northampton$39.26
Questions
Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Massachusetts?
Check the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation before you bid work on your own.1
Are general contractors in demand in Massachusetts?
Projections Central expects about 1,880 general contractor openings a year in Massachusetts through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2
Find an apprenticeship near you
26 registered programs in Massachusetts. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.
Find a programMore for general contractors in Massachusetts
Sources
- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation - Home Improvement Contractor (mass.gov)
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Massachusetts, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)