Field Service Benchmarks by Trade: How Your Business Compares
A 42% gross margin is excellent for roofing and concerning for cleaning. These are the benchmarks for gross margin, close rate, revenue per tech, average ticket, CAC, and days to payment across 8 home service trades.
Key takeaways
- Benchmarks are only useful when trade-specific; comparing an HVAC shop's gross margin to a cleaning business's produces meaningless conclusions
- Within each trade, a single variable often drives most of the variance: equipment replacement percentage in HVAC, residential versus commercial mix in cleaning, replacement versus repair percentage in plumbing
- Revenue per tech per day is the single most actionable daily operating metric because it is directly responsive to dispatch efficiency, pricebook discipline, and tech coaching
Industry benchmarks are only useful if they are trade-specific, and most published benchmarks are not. A 42% gross margin is excellent for a roofing company and a warning sign for a residential cleaning business. Revenue per tech per day at $1,200 is strong for electrical and weak for pest control. Using cross-trade benchmarks to evaluate a single-trade operation produces conclusions that actively mislead.
This post provides benchmarks across 6 key KPIs for 8 home service trades. Each table shows a low/benchmark/high range, not a single number, because the variation within a trade is often as large as the variation between trades. Knowing where you fall in the range is more useful than knowing whether you beat a median. For the broader metric set, see home service KPIs: the complete metrics playbook.
Sources include ServiceTitan's 2025 AI in the Trades Report, Housecall Pro's 2025 State of Home Services Report, Jobber's 2025 Home Services Economic Report, ACCA industry benchmarks, and IBISWorld trade market data. Where ranges reflect published data from multiple sources, the broader range is cited.
How to Use These Benchmarks
Use these numbers to identify outliers in your own operation, not to grade yourself against a market you may not be competing in. A pool service company in Phoenix competes in a different labor and density environment than one in Chicago. The benchmark range reflects national data; your market adjusts the local ceiling and floor.
The most valuable use of any benchmark table: identify the KPI where you are furthest below the benchmark for your trade and ask why. That gap is usually the most tractable improvement opportunity.
Text Clint: "how do my numbers compare to the benchmark for HVAC service businesses?"
When comparing your numbers to the table, use at least 90 days of data. Single-month KPIs are noisy because of seasonality, one large job, or a staffing change. A quarterly view is the right comparison period for most of these metrics.
Gross Margin by Trade
Gross margin here is revenue minus direct costs (parts, materials, direct labor including burdened cost) divided by revenue. It excludes overhead, G&A, and owner compensation.
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 35% | 48% | 62% | Equipment replacement % of revenue |
| Plumbing | 40% | 50% | 65% | Replacement vs. repair mix |
| Electrical | 38% | 50% | 64% | Commercial vs. residential mix |
| Roofing | 28% | 40% | 52% | Material cost management, shingle tier |
| Landscaping | 32% | 45% | 58% | Maintenance vs. install mix |
| Pest Control | 55% | 65% | 75% | Route density, chemical cost |
| Cleaning | 40% | 52% | 65% | Residential vs. commercial, team efficiency |
| Pool Service | 48% | 58% | 70% | Route density, chemical upsell |
HVAC variance explained: a shop doing 70% replacement work and 30% service has fundamentally different economics than one doing 40% replacement and 60% service. Replacement work has high parts cost (compressors, air handlers) that suppresses gross margin on that ticket, even though the total dollar amount is large. Service-heavy shops show higher gross margin percentages on lower average tickets. Neither is wrong; they are different business models. See job profitability for home services for the deeper margin lens.
Pest control and pool service show the highest gross margins because the primary cost inputs (chemicals, recurring labor) are predictable and the revenue is annualized across contracts. Route density is the variable that separates 55% from 75%: a dense route has nearly zero marginal cost per additional stop.
Text Clint: "what is my gross margin for the last 90 days, broken down by job type?"
Close Rate by Trade
Close rate here is completed paid jobs divided by estimates or proposals sent, expressed as a percentage.
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 30% | 52% | 75% | In-home estimate quality, pricebook use |
| Plumbing | 45% | 62% | 80% | Emergency vs. elective mix |
| Electrical | 38% | 55% | 72% | Code compliance urgency, quote turnaround |
| Roofing | 20% | 35% | 55% | Competition density, insurance vs. retail |
| Landscaping | 25% | 42% | 65% | Design presentation quality, seasonal timing |
| Pest Control | 55% | 72% | 88% | Urgency of pest problem, referral vs. ad |
| Cleaning | 50% | 68% | 85% | Initial quote accuracy, in-home walkthrough |
| Pool Service | 60% | 75% | 90% | Referral base, seasonal timing |
Emergency and urgency-driven trades (plumbing, pest control) close at higher rates because the customer is already in pain and has fewer convenient alternatives. Design and discretionary trades (landscaping, roofing) close at lower rates because the customer is shopping multiple bids for work they want but do not urgently need.
The HVAC close rate spread (30-75%) is the widest in the table and directly tied to whether the tech uses a flat-rate pricebook with good-better-best option presentation. Shops without a pricebook rely on the tech to build a quote verbally or in writing during the visit, which produces inconsistent close rates and inconsistent average tickets. See what is a good close rate for home services for the cross-trade lens.
Text Clint: "what is my close rate on estimates sent in the last 60 days, broken down by estimate value bucket?"
Revenue per Tech per Day by Trade
This is total completed-job revenue divided by total field days across all techs. A field day is any day a tech is in the field, regardless of how many jobs they ran.
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $800 | $1,400 | $2,400 | Replacement mix, tech avg. ticket |
| Plumbing | $700 | $1,200 | $2,000 | Job type mix, dispatch efficiency |
| Electrical | $700 | $1,100 | $1,900 | Commercial mix, tech skill level |
| Roofing | $1,200 | $2,200 | $4,000 | Crew size, install vs. repair ratio |
| Landscaping | $600 | $1,100 | $2,000 | Crew size, maintenance vs. install |
| Pest Control | $350 | $550 | $900 | Route density, stop count per day |
| Cleaning | $500 | $750 | $1,200 | Job size, crew configuration |
| Pool Service | $300 | $500 | $800 | Route density, chemical revenue per stop |
Roofing shows the highest range because a single crew installing a full roof in a day can produce $10,000-$20,000 in revenue, but those days are interspersed with measurement days, storm-damage assessment days, and partial installs. The variance within roofing is high; averages are less meaningful here than in route-based trades.
Pest control and pool service show the lowest revenue per tech per day in dollar terms but the highest in profitability per dollar of revenue (see gross margin table). A pool service tech running $500 in daily revenue at 58% gross margin produces $290 in daily gross profit. An HVAC tech running $1,400 at 48% produces $672. The dollar difference is real, but the margin profiles explain why route-based service businesses trade at higher multiples than dispatch-based ones: the revenue is stickier and the margin is more predictable. See technician performance metrics for home services for the full per-tech rubric.
Average Job Ticket by Trade
Average job ticket is total revenue divided by total jobs completed (not estimates, not invoices: completed and collected jobs).
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $280 | $650 | $2,800 | Service vs. replacement proportion |
| Plumbing | $220 | $480 | $1,800 | Emergency call vs. remodel work |
| Electrical | $250 | $520 | $1,600 | Panel upgrades vs. outlet work |
| Roofing | $800 | $7,500 | $22,000 | Full replace vs. repair, sq footage |
| Landscaping | $300 | $1,200 | $8,000 | Maintenance vs. install, property size |
| Pest Control | $95 | $145 | $240 | Service type, recurring vs. one-time |
| Cleaning | $120 | $195 | $400 | Home size, recurring vs. deep clean |
| Pool Service | $95 | $130 | $220 | Chemical add-ons, repair calls |
The low-end benchmarks for pest control, cleaning, and pool service reflect the recurring maintenance visit ticket, not the initial or one-time service ticket. These trades monetize on frequency, not ticket size. A pool service business with 200 weekly accounts at $130 per visit and 48 service weeks per year generates $1.25M per year from stops that average $130 each.
Text Clint: "what is my average completed job ticket for the last 90 days, and how does it compare to the same period last year?"
Customer Acquisition Cost by Trade
CAC is total marketing and sales spend divided by new customers acquired in the period. It includes ad spend, lead service fees (Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack), and sales labor directly attributable to new-customer conversion. It excludes overhead and does not include time spent on existing-customer work.
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $85 | $185 | $420 | Lead source mix, conversion rate |
| Plumbing | $65 | $155 | $380 | Emergency vs. planned work ratio |
| Electrical | $70 | $160 | $360 | Organic vs. paid lead ratio |
| Roofing | $150 | $350 | $900 | Storm season, canvassing cost |
| Landscaping | $60 | $140 | $350 | Referral strength, door-to-door cost |
| Pest Control | $45 | $95 | $220 | Referral rate, channel mix |
| Cleaning | $35 | $75 | $195 | Referral rate, platform fee |
| Pool Service | $40 | $90 | $210 | Route density, referral base |
CAC is only meaningful in relation to customer lifetime value (LTV). A $350 roofing CAC on a customer who buys a $12,000 roof and refers two more customers is a strong investment. A $350 HVAC CAC on a customer who only ever buys one service call is not.
LTV-to-CAC ratio of 3:1 or better is the minimum threshold for a sustainable paid acquisition channel. At 3:1, you recover CAC in the first job in most trades. At 10:1 or higher (pest control, cleaning, pool service with their recurring revenue), paid acquisition is highly capital-efficient.
Days to Payment by Trade
Days to payment is the average number of days between job completion date and payment receipt date, across all completed jobs in the period.
| Trade | Low | Benchmark | High | Primary variance driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | 2 | 8 | 35 | Commercial vs. residential mix |
| Plumbing | 1 | 5 | 22 | Emergency vs. planned ratio |
| Electrical | 3 | 12 | 45 | Commercial permit-tied work |
| Roofing | 5 | 18 | 60 | Insurance claim processing time |
| Landscaping | 3 | 14 | 45 | Commercial contract terms |
| Pest Control | 1 | 4 | 14 | Recurring billing vs. per-service |
| Cleaning | 1 | 3 | 12 | Credit card on file vs. invoice |
| Pool Service | 1 | 4 | 12 | Autopay adoption rate |
Residential trades with on-site payment collection (card on file, field payment via app) cluster at 1-5 days. Commercial work and insurance-tied work (roofing) stretch to 30-60 days because payment is tied to processes outside the contractor's control.
The single highest-impact practice for compressing days to payment in residential service: require a credit card on file at booking and charge it at completion. Businesses doing this average 2-4 days to payment. Businesses still invoicing and waiting for a check average 18-35 days.
Text Clint: "what is my average days to payment for the last 60 days, and which job types or customer types are taking longest to collect?"
How Clint Runs the Comparison
Clint pulls your actual KPI data from your CRM and accounting integration and compares it to the trade-specific benchmarks in real time. You ask "how do my numbers compare to the HVAC benchmark?" and get your current gross margin, close rate, revenue per tech, average ticket, and days-to-payment alongside the benchmark range for your trade, with a gap analysis that identifies where you are most below range.
The comparison is against your actual trailing-90-day data, not self-reported estimates. The benchmark is a starting point; the gap tells you where to focus.
Sources
- ServiceTitan 2025 AI in the Trades Report - HVAC, plumbing, and electrical KPI benchmarks
- Housecall Pro 2025 State of Home Services Report - cleaning, landscaping, and pest control benchmarks
- Jobber 2025 Home Services Economic Report - SMB field service revenue and ticket benchmarks
- ACCA contractor benchmarking data - HVAC industry gross margin and close rate ranges
- IBISWorld home services industry reports - market-level revenue and margin data by trade
- Levelset 2024 Construction Payment Report - days-to-payment benchmarks across contractor types
Frequently Asked Questions
4 questions home service owners actually ask about this.
01Where do these benchmarks come from and how current are they?
The primary sources are ServiceTitan's 2025 AI in the Trades Report, Housecall Pro's 2025 State of Home Services Report, Jobber's 2025 Home Services Economic Report, and ACCA industry benchmarks. All are 2024-2025 data. Market conditions (labor costs, material inflation, lead price changes) shift benchmarks year over year; the ranges here should be treated as directional, not as fixed targets.
02Should I benchmark against the full range or try to reach the high end?
Start by understanding where you are in the range. If you are in the low band, focus on closing the gap to benchmark before targeting the high end. The jump from low to benchmark is usually 2-3 operational changes (pricebook adoption, dispatch efficiency, collection process). The jump from benchmark to high usually requires structural changes (service mix shift, geographic expansion, management hires) with longer lead times.
03My gross margin looks high but my bank account does not match. What am I missing?
Gross margin calculates profit before overhead. If your gross margin is at benchmark but your net profit is thin or negative, the problem is overhead: owner salary booked above the line, admin and dispatch labor counted in COGS instead of overhead, vehicle and insurance costs not properly modeled. Separate direct costs (labor that touches the job, materials in the job) from overhead (everything else) and recalculate. The misclassification is one of the most common P&L errors in home service, covered in more detail in the payroll management post.
04Is gross margin the right primary metric or should I focus on net margin?
Gross margin first because it is within your operational control. Net margin is shaped by overhead decisions (office size, insurance costs, owner draws) that are often fixed in the short term. Gross margin responds faster to changes in dispatch efficiency, pricebook discipline, and job mix. Fix gross margin first; then work on the overhead structure.
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