State and Metro Construction Information

Resources

In April, seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment increased in 32 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 18 states, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Compared with April 2011, employment rose in 43 states plus D.C. and contracted in seven states. Construction employment increased for the month in 19 states plus D.C., declined in 28 states and held steady in Ohio, South Dakota and Wyoming, an AGC analysis showed. Construction employment increased year-over-year in 22 states plus D.C., dropped in 27 states and was level in Rhode Island. The largest annual percentage gains in construction employment were in North Dakota (19%, 4,300 jobs), D.C. (14%, 1,600 jobs), Iowa (12%, 7,200 jobs) and Indiana (8.1%, 9,400). Texas added the most jobs (14,100, 2.5%), followed by Indiana, Arizona (8,600, 7.8%) and Iowa. The largest percentage declines over the year occurred in Alaska (-18%, -2,800), Alabama (-10%, -8,500) and Delaware (-9.0%, -1,800). The largest number of jobs were lost in Florida (-9,200, -2.9%), Alabama and Illinois (-8,500, -4.7%). (BLS combines mining and logging with construction in D.C., South Dakota, Delaware and four other states to avoid disclosing data about industries with few employers.)

Employment increased in 267 out of 372 metropolitan areas from March 2011 to March 2012, decreased in 96 and remained flat in nine, BLS reported on Wednesday. Construction employment increased in 155 out of 337 metro areas (including divisions of 11 large metros) for which BLS provides such data, fell in 134 and stayed level in 48, an AGC analysis found. (BLS does not seasonally adjust metro-level data; the agency combines mining and logging with construction in most metros to avoid disclosing data about industries with few employers.) The largest year-over-year percentage gains in construction employment were in Bakersfield-Delano, Calif. (30%, 3,900 construction jobs); Battle Creek, Mich. (25%, 300 combined jobs); and Fargo, N.D.-Minn. (25%, 1,400 combined jobs).

The Key Role of Construction in Each State's Economy

AGC has compiled on the role of the construction in the economy and employment in the United States, each state and major metro areas. Click on a state to see fact sheet(s) for it.

Data Sources

U.S. Map AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY