Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.
Construction workers remain a vital component of the American workforce, driving economic growth through their work in essential sectors.
Their efforts serve as a foundation for federal administration initiatives aimed at expanding the supply of residential housing and bolstering a waning American manufacturing industry.
By building the houses, buildings and infrastructure necessary to achieve these goals, construction workers make significant contributions to the country’s economic development.
Construction employment varies significantly across the country. The following is a breakdown of construction industry employment in major metro areas.
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. See the details of the methodology at the end.
Here are the U.S. metropolitan areas with the most construction workers.
1. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.4%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +2.0 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 168,526
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +9.9%
2. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.4%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +2.0 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 80,336
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +3.8%
3. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.2%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.8 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 230,703
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +1.7%
4. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.2%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.8 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 118,073
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +1.4%
5. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.2%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.8 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 77,077
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: -2.9%
6. Raleigh-Cary, NC
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.1%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.7 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 50,316
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +8.5%
7. Salt Lake City, UT
- Percentage of employment in construction: 7.0%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.6 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 56,701
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +3.2%
8. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.8%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.4 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 109,399
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +2.2%
9. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.8%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.4 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 82,952
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +0.7%
10. Jacksonville, FL
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.7%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.3 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 49,533
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +0.3%
11. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.5%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.1 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 88,305
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +2.5%
12. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.4%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.0 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 90,726
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +2.5%
13. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.4%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.0 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 79,211
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: +3.7%
14. Richmond, VA
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.4%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +1.0 pp
- Total number of construction employees: 41,579
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: -0.2%
15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Percentage of employment in construction: 6.1%
- Construction employment concentration (compared with average): +0.7 pp
- Total number of construction employees:128,431
- Year-over-year change in construction employment: -2.2%
Methodology
To determine the locations with the most construction workers, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
The researchers ranked locations by the percentage of total employment in the construction industry in Q3 2023, the latest data available. In the event of a tie, the location with the greater total number of construction industry employees was ranked higher.
To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with complete data were included.
