To stay competitive within the building and home improvement industry, it’s critical to look at how demographics are changing, and will continue to change, as you work to plan years in advance.

Those demographical differences will play a major role in your branding, product development, distribution and go-to-market strategies as younger generations start taking up jobs in the trades. Efforts to capture market share in these generational categories among contractor buyer personas need to be underway.

What is the Age Breakdown of Construction Industry Pros in 2026?

According to the Center for Construction Research and Training, the average age for those employed by the construction industry in the U.S. from 2011 to 2024 was 42.4 years old. On average annually during the same time period, the three largest groups among construction workers were:

• 35 to 44 years old (24.6%)
• 45 to 54 years old (22.7%)
• 25 to 34 years old (22.6%)

Additionally, data from Zippia shows there are currently about 69% of general contractors who are 40 years or older. Another 25% are in the 30- to 40-year-old range, and 6% are in the 20- to 30-year-old range.

As the workforce ages, these segments will continue shifting, representing a greater portion of Millennials (now in their 30s and 40s) and Gen Zers, or Zoomers (now in their late teens and 20s), who grew up under the influence of the Internet and smart technology, and therefore, have a high digital literacy. Additionally, Gen Z is the most diverse and multicultural demographic in the U.S.

If you’re intending to increase your market share among young contractors, it’s important to understand their unique behaviors, priorities, and preferred modes of communication.

What Strategies Attract Younger Contractors to Existing Products?

Data shows contractors remain busy with new projects, despite increasing costs for products and raw materials and economic uncertainty causing concerns. In general, pros across trades are booked out anywhere from 6.6 to 9.6 weeks, or an average of 8.1 weeks, according to the Farnsworth Contractor Index for the first quarter of 2026. About 68% are expecting revenue to increase over the next 12 months.

As demonstrated by findings in The Farnsworth Group's 2026 Building Products Customer Guide, these busy trade professionals tend to go where they are familiar, both in person and online, so from a marketing standpoint, it can be difficult to get their attention. Your marketing must be delivered in a convenient, digestible medium that meets the customer where they are.

However, when you’re looking at younger contractors, specifically, or those in the 20 to 44 age range (Gen Z and Millennials), you can get a better sense of what efforts and initiatives are the most likely to yield the best results. Here are a few key trends among younger industry professionals and contractors the inform your product development and marketing strategies:

1. Young General Contractors and Builders are Big Online Researchers

Builders and remodelers of all ages spend a significant amount of time conducting online research before a purchase. Overall, 49% reported that they spent a “good amount” (roughly an hour) or “a lot” (multiple hours) conducting online research before purchasing building products. About 54% of home builders spent an hour or more researching online in the last year, and commercial builders remain deeply engaged, with 57% spending an hour or more on research. In particular, construction and remodeling professionals in the Gen Z and Millennial generations demonstrate high digital fluency and tech-savviness. This ongoing generational shift to online research should be an eye-opener to the industry, especially because an effective reviews strategy takes time to build. Present information on your products in a way that mirrors a site your customers regularly visit and trust, such as Amazon. This helps build confidence in your brand and your products. You also must offer in-depth, clearly communicated information, easily accessible whenever the mood strikes these younger professionals; a seamless digital purchase experience; consistency across physical and online platforms; and engaging tools, such as product visualizers, cost calculators and 3D imagery.

2. Complementing Digital and In-Person Channels

Additionally, just because online sources are increasingly important for contractors’ product research, however, doesn’t mean you should neglect in-store marketing strategies. About 26% of general contractors and builders still spend roughly an hour doing so before making a purchase, and 42% spend roughly 30 minutes. Trade professionals also still conduct research in stores, where they can touch, feel and see the products they’re considering. As contractors bounce between online and in-store for conducting product research, make sure your messaging is consistent, you reduce context switching, and your marketing strategies for these different environments complement, rather compete against, one another (competing promotions and offers as an example).

3. Supplier Websites are a Top Online Resource

When younger contractors and builders go online to research home improvement and construction products, their top three destinations are supplier websites, search platforms like Google, and manufacturer websites. About 80% of residential remodelers/GCs, 71% of home builders, and 65% of commercial builders/GCs use supplier websites to shop for or research building products online. Younger people have come to expect a seamless online experience as the norm.

Strategies for a Manufacturer Website

To satisfy tech-savvy Millennial and Gen Z contractors, ensure your website is optimized with clear visuals and product details, enable a simple search and navigation system to make data easily accessible, and optimize for speed (including mobile). Provide your channel partners the product information they need to effectively serve as an extension of your brand. Keep in mind that connectivity, smart technology, sustainability, and eco-friendly features are more influential among younger demographics. They are more familiar with these topics and care about how they factor into the home building and remodeling industry.

Strategies for a Supplier Websites

Since big-box retailers are a major channel for purchasing home improvement products, this is a good place to put some focus as well. On big-box retail websites, your products will appear right next to your competitors. Make sure you put extra thought into answering questions and speaking to pain points. Each product listing should also push your product’s unique value proposition. Further, be honest about what your product isn’t best for or can’t do up front so that trade professionals can self-service along their own purchase journey. You don’t have to overcomplicate your marketing; you just have to make it easy for trade professionals to find the information they are looking for during research and installation. They have a job to do efficiently and to proper standards. Help them with that aim.

4. Utilize Social Media Platforms Effectively

As alluded to earlier, social media is becoming an important resource for contractors—although slightly more so for commercial contractors than residential contractors. Millennials started using Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms in high school, college, or young adulthood, while many Gen Zers basically grew up around the presence of social media. They're savvy when it comes to looking up information on these platforms and deciphering what is or isn't a credible source.

When asked which of the following apps or social media websites they use, the top three responses for home builders were:

• Facebook (92%)
• YouTube (89%)
• Instagram (68%)

The top three responses for commercial builders and general contractors were:

• YouTube (88%)
• Facebook (88%)
• Instagram (69%)

The top three responses for residential remodelers and general contractors were:

• Facebook (85%)
• YouTube (78%)
• Instagram (56%)

While these statistics are not specific to Millennials or Gen Z, they demonstrate the influence that social media and other digital platforms have on the way that contractors are researching products. As these younger contractors represent an increasing portion of contractors and industry pros in the U.S., these resources are likely to maintain a level of importance in the coming years.

When it comes to using social media to research building and home improvement products for their projects, YouTube is by and large the most popular resource. About 70% of commercial builders/GCs, 53% of residential remodelers/GCs, and 60% of home builders use YouTube for this purpose. For home improvement brands, that means a strong YouTube strategy with clear, consistent, and practical “how-to” content is the most effective way to reach all builder segments where they actively learn. For contractors, Reddit and TikTok also are being used for product discovery and peer reviews.

5. Availability Outweighs Brand Loyalty

For general contractors, brand decisions are a practical calculation of risk and reward. The non-negotiable factors for selecting any brand are high-quality and availability across segments, reflecting the high-stakes environment of a job site. Nearly 90% of builders across all segments cite high quality as a key brand driver, because a product failure leads to costly callbacks and reputational damage. However, if that product isn’t on the shelf when they need it, they will switch. Availability is the No. 2 driver of brand choice, and it’s the primary reason for builders to switch brands. It’s important that your products are available when and where contractors are looking for them. If you want to increase your sales among young contractors, it requires a multi-faceted marketing strategy focused on proving performance and building confidence. Invest heavily in accessible product education—especially video-based installation guides, detailed product demos, and “how-to” content that speaks directly to the timesaving and quality benefits the generalists value.

6. Brand Loyalty is On a Slight Decline

While brand loyalty exists across the board, there have been small decreases over the years. Loyalty is the strongest among commercial GCs/builders, with 45% describing themselves as “very loyal.” This is likely a risk-mitigation strategy, as the complex specifications and higher stakes of commercial projects make sticking with a proven product a safer bet. However, this loyalty is conditional. The fact that over half of all generalists tried a new brand last year proves that loyalty will quickly erode if a manufacturer fails on the core promises of quality, availability, or price.

And there have been some shifts in terms of industry pros being open to trying new brands and products. For example, in 2025:

• 47% of home builders tried a new brand/product (up from 40% in 2024)
• 51% of residential remodelers/GCs tried a new brand/product (up from 47% in 2024)
• 64% of commercial remodelers/GCs tried a new brand/product (up from 60% in 2024)

Manufacturers have a bigger window to earn trial and conversion if builders can easily discover, understand, and trust their products. In particular, Gen Z contractors are often just starting out on their construction careers in 2026 or moving into decision-making positions, so there is opportunity to build a relationship to them early, targeting your messaging to their specific preferences and behaviors, in an attempt to cultivate long-term loyalty.

For more information on the factors and trends shaping the construction industry in the near future, request access to our Building Products Customer Guide.

How Do You Target Younger Contractors with an Existing Product?

While these trends can help give a clearer picture of how to reach general contractors and builders in 2026, custom market research will help you home in on the more specific needs and priorities of your intended demographics, including younger Millennial and Gen Z contractors.

Consider custom market research to gain a better understanding and insight into:

• Who is and is not using your product?
• If you're products aren't being used by younger contractors (Gen Z and Millennials), why not? What are they looking for that your brand and/or products don't provide?
• What brand, perceptions, and product attributes come to mind among customers?
• Have iterative product improvement adequately addressed the use cases necessary to become the preferred brand?
• Do contractors gain credibility by association with your brand?

Then consider the same questions regarding your direct competitors. Your company can modify the way it’s selling to contractors in order to reach them with an existing product and compel them to make the purchase against their lineup of options.

Researching Trends Among Young Contractors in 2026

There’s no silver bullet for attracting new customers, but customized market research delivers the data you need to effectively address the purchase motivations and buying habits of various contractor segments, whether they’re categorized by age, tenure, size of company, or type of work. Schedule a consultation with our team at The Farnsworth Group to get started on custom market research that is individualized using the latest quantitative, qualitative and analytic tools, giving you deeper insight into your market and providing actionable recommendations.