Category Research

Browse reports prepared by our research team on the construction industry. We use data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among other sources, to provide readers with up-to-date data and statistics relevant to the construction industry.

Black man thinking

American Cities With the Largest Minority Homeownership Gap

Nationally, the minority homeownership gap—defined here as the difference between the White homeownership rate and the minority homeownership rate—has exceeded 20 percentage points for at least the past two decades. Locally, this gap varies due to factors such as an area’s demographic makeup, housing costs, employment opportunities, and historical homeownership rates. Researchers identified the locations with the largest minority homeownership gap.
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.
Cellular tower repair

The Fastest-Growing Jobs in Construction

A series of COVID-19 relief packages in 2020 and 2021 has sent billions of dollars flowing to the construction industry, but the centerpiece of federal investment was a $1.9 trillion infrastructure bill signed into law in late 2021. The bipartisan package will fund major new construction projects for years to come. These are the construction occupations that are forecasted the most growth in the next 10 years.
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.
Suburban home

The Hottest Real Estate Markets in the U.S.

While 2023 marked a notably more subdued year for real estate compared to the preceding years, recent signs suggest market conditions could be heating up again—though some geographies are seeing more activity than others. These are the locations with the hottest real estate markets in 2024.
Construction supervisor

The Best-Paying Construction Jobs in the U.S.

The construction industry has experienced a period of heightened activity over the past several years, and researchers set out to find the best-paying construction occupations. They analyzed the most common jobs using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those occupations were ranked according to their median hourly wage.
Female construction worker

Cities With the Most Women in Construction

Construction has long been a male-dominated field. And while there is still a long way to go to achieve proportional representation, the share of female employment in construction has been increasing in recent years. These are the states with the most female construction workers.
Apartment buidling

Cities With the Biggest Change in Rent Prices

More than half of all U.S. states have seen rent grow by double-digit percentages. At the metro level, the pace of rent changes can be even more stark. These are the locations with the biggest increases in median rent from 2023 to 2024.
Suburban homes

Cities With the Most Working-Age Residents Who Have Paid off Their Homes

Mortgage payoff rates vary substantially across the country. The nearly 28% of working-age U.S. homeowners without mortgages are less vulnerable during recessions than those with large mortgage obligations. These are the cities where the most people under 65 own their homes free and clear.
Senior couple

Baby Boomer-Dominant Housing Markets

While baby boomers comprise just over 20% of the U.S. population, they account for nearly 38% of homeowners nationwide. However, baby boomer homeownership rates vary across local and state markets. Researchers calculated the percentage of owner-occupied households that are headed by baby boomers, then ranked locations accordingly.
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.
Suburban home

Cities Where It’s Cheaper to Buy Than Rent

For many years, the typical monthly costs of buying a home were well below typical rents in the U.S. But as of November 2023, the typical monthly payment for a home in the U.S. was more than 22% higher than the typical monthly rent. Researchers compared the cost of buying a home now with renting one in over 300 U.S. cities and ranked locations accordingly.
Mortgage refinance application

U.S. Cities With the Most Mortgage Refinances

Refinancing a mortgage can help reduce monthly payments or provide some much needed liquidity, but the proportion of households that refinance their mortgage varies considerably across the country. Our researchers ranked U.S. states and metros according to the number of mortgage refinances originated in 2022 per 1,000 households with a mortgage.
Suburban home

Cities With the Largest Increase in Home Prices Over the Last Decade

Over the past decade, which has included recoveries from both the Great Recession and the COVID-19 recession, U.S. home values grew by more than 100%. To find the locations with the largest increases, researchers analyzed Zillow data and compared median home prices in 2023 to 2013.
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.