Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Jones is a senior researcher and data journalist for Construction Coverage. He received his J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and has degrees in philosophy and political science from UCLA. When Jon is not researching real estate and public policy, he likes to fix up old cars and work on home improvement projects.
Construction worker

Cities With the Most Construction Workers

Construction workers remain a crucial component of the American workforce, and contribute significantly to the country's economic development. Using the latest data available, researchers at Construction Coverage identified the U.S. states and metros with the largest shares of employment in the construction industry.

Suburban homes

U.S. Cities With the Most Single-Family Homes

Although there was a modest rebound in single-family construction post-2015, which gained momentum during the pandemic, this surge has since subsided. In 2023, only 61.8% of new construction was allocated to single-family units. This ongoing underinvestment has led to an estimated shortfall of approximately 6.5 million single-family homes—a primary contributor to elevated housing prices. Researchers calculated the percentage of housing units that are single-family and ranked locations accordingly.

Oil reserves

States With the Most Oil Reserves

Advances in geological understanding and technology like horizontal drilling and fracking have transformed the U.S.'s oil business. Imports have fallen sharply, while production and exports have grown. In fact, the U.S. became a net exporter of oil for the first time ever in 2020, and average oil production in 2023 was nearly 22 million barrels per day. These are the U.S.'s biggest oil states.

Historic homes

American Cities With the Oldest Homes

The U.S. is short between 2.3 and 6.5 million housing units relative to the needs of the current population. And with fewer new homes coming onto the market, many buyers are increasingly competing for older homes. Researchers calculated the median age of residential housing units based on the year each unit was built, and ranked U.S. cities and states accordingly.

Plumber

The Best-Paying Cities for Plumbers

Nationally, plumbers earn about 30% more than the typical worker—but more localized data shows a highly regional industry. We ranked U.S. states and metros according to the median annual wage for plumbers, adjusted for the cost of living.

Analyst

Jobs Requiring the Least Communication With Others

We calculated the proportion of jobs requiring no communication, seldom communication, or occasional communication within each occupation and ranked those occupations accordingly.

Electrician

These U.S. Cities Need More Electricians

The U.S. is increasingly moving towards electrification—replacing technologies that use fossil fuels with those that use electricity. Not only are private sector companies like Tesla pushing for the adoption of electric technologies to replace those that use greenhouse gas-emitting energy…

Solar panel installer

Best-Paying U.S. Cities for Solar Panel Installers in 2023

Due to the increased cost of non-renewable energy sources like oil, gas, and coal, heating bills have reached their highest level in 10 years. Energy sources continue to be limited by economic and political conditions, such as OPEC+ cutting oil…

Signature

U.S. Cities With the Largest Rise in Down Payments During COVID

After a record-setting surge in home prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cooling of the real estate market seems to have fully set in. Mortgage rates doubled over the course of 2022 as the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates…

Handyman

American Cities With the Most Mechanically-Inclined Workers in 2023

As concerns over climate change continue to grow, there has been a sustained effort towards electrification, or the process of replacing technologies that use fossil fuels (including coal, oil, and natural gas) with technologies that use electricity for energy. States…

Home for sale

American Cities With the Largest Drop in Home Sales in 2022

The housing market is entering the traditionally quieter winter season, but recent indicators suggest that the market has already been slowing in the last few months. New listings, pending sales, and prices are all on the decline, signs of rapid…

Welder

The Best-Paying American Cities for Welders in 2022

In recent years, policymakers and economic experts have embraced efforts to bring more manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. From the “America First” trade deals in the Trump Administration to historic investments in domestic manufacturing under the Biden Administration, industrial…

Woodworker

Best-Paying U.S. States for Woodworkers in 2022

The last few years have brought rising demand for housing construction, home improvement projects, and durable goods. But amid supply chain challenges and an unusual labor market since the COVID-19 pandemic began, construction and related businesses have had a hard…

Mechanical engineer

Best-Paying American Cities for Mechanical Engineers in 2022

Experts of all stripes agree that the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are critical to the U.S. economy. A recent study estimated that STEM supports 67% of jobs in the U.S. and 69% of the country’s GDP.…