AI search statistics for home services (2026)
Homeowners are changing how they find a contractor, fast. This page collects the most useful, verifiable numbers on AI and local search for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and electrical businesses — every one from a named third-party study, linked so you can check it yourself.
We built Cited because these numbers point in one direction: being the business an AI assistant names is becoming its own marketing channel. Here’s the evidence — then a free tool to see where you stand.
The numbers that matter
- 45% of consumers used AI to find a local business in the past year Up from just 6% a year earlier — a roughly 7× jump in twelve months. BrightLocal, 2026
- #3 AI is now the third most-used way to find a local business Behind only Google and Facebook — and ahead of Yelp and TripAdvisor. BrightLocal, 2026
- 31% / 23% use ChatGPT / Google AI Mode for local recommendations The two most-used assistants among consumers who ask AI for a local business. BrightLocal, 2026
- 71% still use Google reviews to research a business — down from 83% Google's share of local research is slipping as AI assistants take a cut. BrightLocal, 2026
- 64% of 30–44-year-olds use AI to find local businesses Versus 24% of over-60s — the homeowners booking work skew heavily to AI. BrightLocal, 2026
- 4.5–4.7★ the minimum star rating to compete in the Google map pack Across a 50-million-result study, category winners averaged 4.8–4.9 stars. Local Falcon, 2025
- 800M people use ChatGPT every week A mainstream research channel now — and a place customers ask for recommendations. OpenAI, October 2025
How many Google reviews it takes to rank, by trade
| Trade | Median reviews to rank (local 3-pack) |
|---|---|
| HVAC | 244 reviews |
| Plumbing | 215 reviews |
| Roofing | 79 reviews |
| Electrical | 56 reviews |
Median review counts for businesses ranking in the Google local 3-pack, from Local Falcon’s Q4 2025 analysis of 50.4 million U.S. search results across 1,993 categories. These are typical counts for businesses that rank — not a target we set — and proximity, star rating, and a complete profile all factor in too.
What the numbers mean for your business
The shift is real but early — which is exactly the opportunity. Nearly half of consumers already ask AI for local recommendations, yet most contractors have done nothing to be the name it gives. The levers are unglamorous and well known: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of recent reviews (the table above shows roughly how many your trade needs), structured data, and clear service pages.
None of it guarantees a recommendation — AI answers are sampled and non-deterministic — but the same work wins Google’s local map pack, so it pays off today regardless of how fast AI grows. Run the free audit to see whether AI names you now, and what to fix first.
Run your free audit
See whether AI assistants recommend your business — free, no account. We email one report.
The exact questions we’ll ask AI about you:
- “Who are the best HVAC companies in my city?”
- “Which plumber should I call when a pipe bursts?”
- “Recommend a trustworthy, well-reviewed roofing company near me.”
Frequently asked questions
How many people use AI to find local businesses?
In 2026, 45% of consumers said they had used AI to find a local business in the past year — up from just 6% a year earlier, according to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey. AI is now the third most-used way to find a local business, behind only Google and Facebook and ahead of Yelp and TripAdvisor.
Which AI assistants do people use to find local contractors?
Among consumers who ask AI for a local business, ChatGPT (31%) and Google’s AI Mode (23%) are the most-used, per BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, with Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot trailing but growing. ChatGPT alone reached 800 million weekly active users in October 2025 (OpenAI).
How many Google reviews does a contractor need to rank in the map pack?
It varies by trade. In Local Falcon’s study of 50 million search results, the median business ranking in the local 3-pack had about 244 reviews for HVAC, 215 for plumbing, 79 for roofing, and 56 for electrical — with a 4.5–4.7-star minimum to compete. These are category medians, not guarantees: proximity, rating, and a complete Google Business Profile all matter too.
Is AI search big enough to matter for a local contractor yet?
For any single trade in one city, AI-referral volume is still early — but it’s high-intent (someone asking "who should I call?" is close to hiring) and growing fast, with nearly half of consumers already using AI to find local businesses. The decisive point: the fixes that earn an AI recommendation are the same ones that win Google’s map pack, so the work pays off today regardless of how fast AI grows.
Where do these AI-search statistics come from?
Every figure on this page is from a named, public third-party source — BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, Local Falcon’s 50-million-result ranking study, and OpenAI’s reported usage — each linked in the Sources list below. We don’t publish numbers we can’t attribute, and we don’t measure Google AI Overviews because we never scrape them.
Sources
- Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (AI trust findings) — BrightLocal, 2026
- What 50 Million Search Results Reveal About Ranking in the Local 3-Pack — Local Falcon, 2025
- OpenAI DevDay keynote — ChatGPT weekly active users (reported by TechCrunch) — OpenAI, October 2025