Texas and New Mexico Have Highest 12-Month Gains, While New York and New Jersey Have the Worst Yearly Declines; Texas and Michigan Top Monthly Gainers; Florida and Mississippi Have the Worst Losses for the Month
Construction employment rose in 27 states and the District of Columbia over the past year, and 31 states and D.C. added jobs between August and September, according to an analysis of new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that construction employment is expanding in more parts of the country compared to August, when only 19 states added jobs but cautioned that contractors in many areas continue to report difficulty finding enough qualified workers to meet demand.
“Seeing more states add construction jobs in September is an encouraging sign, but labor shortages remain a significant hurdle for many contractors,” said Macrina Wilkins, senior research analyst at the association. “Firms continue to report that finding enough qualified workers is one of their biggest challenges and a key factor behind project delays.”
Between September 2024 and September 2025, 27 states and D.C. added construction jobs, while 23 states shed jobs. Texas added the most construction jobs (16,400 jobs or 1.9 percent), followed by Virginia (13,500 jobs, 6.1 percent), Ohio (12,200 jobs, 4.9 percent) and Michigan (11,000 jobs, 5.6 percent). New Mexico had the largest percentage gain over 12 months (12.4 percent, 6,700 jobs), followed by Idaho (7.5 percent, 5,400 jobs), Alaska (7.1 percent, 1,300 jobs), and Kentucky (6.9 percent, 6,500 jobs).
New York lost the most construction jobs during the past 12 months (-16,900 jobs, -4.3 percent), followed by California (-14,600 jobs, -1.6 percent), Washington (-12,100 jobs, -5.4 percent), New Jersey (-10,000 jobs, -6.0 percent), and Nevada (-5,500 jobs, -5.0 percent). The largest percentage loss was in New Jersey, followed by Washington, Nevada, New York, and Maine (-3.4 percent, -1,200 jobs).
For the month, industry employment increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 17 states, and was unchanged in Maine and Arizona. Texas added the most construction jobs (4,300 jobs or 0.5 percent), followed by Michigan (4,200 jobs, 2.1 percent) and Indiana (1,800 jobs, 1.1 percent). The largest percentage gain occurred in Michigan, followed by Wyoming (1.7 percent, 400 jobs) and Iowa (1.5 percent, 1,300 jobs).
Florida experienced the largest decline in construction jobs from August to September (-4,400 jobs, -0.7 percent), followed by Mississippi (-2,600 jobs, -1.0 percent), Georgia (-3,000 jobs, -4.9 percent), and New York (-2,400, jobs, -0.6 percent). Mississippi also lost the highest percentage of jobs for the month, followed by Alaska (-1.5 percent, -300 jobs), Montana, West Virginia (-1.1 percent, -400 jobs), and Missouri (-0.9 percent, -1,300 jobs).
Association officials noted that demand for private-sector construction jobs is likely to increase since the Federal Reserve Board lowered interest rates yesterday. That new demand is likely to put additional strain on already tight labor markets. As a result, association officials continued to urge federal leaders to take short- and long-term steps to support construction workforce development.
“We need federal officials to make significant new, long-term, investments in construction-focused workforce development programs,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “At the same time they should be taking short-term steps to allow more people to lawfully enter the country and work in construction to meet demand while we rebuild the domestic workforce pipeline.”
View September 2025 state employment data and 1-month, 12-month rankings.