Tag Construction Employment

In recent years, financial commitment from the federal government to rebuild and expand critical American infrastructure has been a boon for the construction industry. While short- and long-term labor shortages persist at the national level, some parts of the country have seen substantial growth in construction hiring.

It is estimated that an additional 501,000 construction professionals will be needed in the industry this year, plus an additional 454,000 in 2025 on top of normal hiring. These are the most popular construction jobs in the U.S. right now.

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.

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.

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.

Union membership in the U.S. has declined sharply over the past several decades. However, union participation remains strong in certain parts of the country. These are the cities with the highest union membership rates.