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