Method

Our selection process

Five categories. Twenty points each. More than 25 variables. The same rubric for a plumber in Dallas and a divorce lawyer in Boston. Only the top scorers in a city make the list.

1. 01

   Discovery

   We start wide. Every provider we can find serving the city goes into the pool: search listings, map data, trade associations, and public records. Then we check the basics: are they operating, do they publish a phone and website, and do they actually serve this city?

   Business status · phone · website · service area · hours

2. 02

   Licensing & credentials

   Where a trade requires a license, we check the state board. Where it does not, we look for accreditations, certifications, and awards the provider can back up. Unverifiable claims score zero.

   State license lookup · BBB · trade certifications · awards

3. 03

   Reputation

   We read reviews across every source we can find, not one. Score, volume, recency, and volatility all count. A 5.0 from four reviews is not a 4.8 from four hundred.

   Review sources · average score · review count · recency · volatility

4. 04

   Experience

   Years in business, how deep the service list goes, and whether this category is the provider's primary trade or a side line.

   Years active · service depth · primary trade

5. 05

   Mystery-shop call

   We call. A member of our team phones as a prospective customer and scores the answer: did a person pick up, did they know the trade, were they clear on pricing, were they professional? Until a provider has been called, this category reads "Not yet shopped" instead of a made-up number.

   Answered · knowledge · pricing clarity · professionalism