Construction jobs increase in 40 states in past year

By |  June 22, 2015

Construction firms added jobs in 40 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) between May 2014 and May 2015, reports the Associated General Contractors of America (AGCA). In addition, construction firms added jobs in 28 states and D.C. between April 2015 and May 2015.

California added more construction jobs – a total of 46,600 jobs for a 6.9 percent increase – between May 2014 and May 2015 than any other state, says AGCA. Florida added 28,200 jobs for a 7.2 percent increase in jobs; Texas added 20,300 jobs for a 3.1 percent increase; Washington added 18,100 jobs for an 11.6 percent increase; and North Carolina added 15,600 jobs for an 8.8 percent increase. Idaho added the highest percent of new construction jobs during the past year – 4,200 jobs for an 11.6 percent increase – followed by Washington; Michigan with 15,100 new jobs for a 10.7 percent increase; and North Carolina.

From May 2014 to May 2015, 10 states decreased the number of construction jobs, with West Virginia losing 4,200 jobs for a 12.3 percent decrease. Mississippi lost 3,600 jobs for a 7.2 percent decrease; Rhode Island lost 900 jobs for a 5.4 percent decrease; Maine lost 700 jobs for a 2.7 percent decrease; and Ohio lost 4,300 jobs for a 2.2 percent decrease. According to AGCA, the largest job losses were in Ohio, West Virginia and Mississippi.

The states that had the highest construction employment in May 2015 were all in the Northeast, with a 4.3 percent increase in Connecticut and New Hampshire; a 4.2 percent increase in New York; a 4.1 percent increase in Vermont; a 2.9 percent increase in Maryland; and a 2.7 percent increase in Massachusetts.

The states with the lowest construction employment in the month of May were South Dakota with a 3 percent decrease; North Dakota with a 2.4 percent decrease; Iowa with a 1.8 percent decrease; Louisiana with a 1.7 percent decrease; and Oklahoma with a 1 percent decrease. The steepest monthly losses occurred in Wyoming with a 4.1 percent decrease and Wisconsin with a 3.6 percent decrease.

“Construction has outpaced the overall economy in adding workers nationally but the mix of states with construction job gains keeps changing,” says Ken Simonson, chief economist for AGCA. “The top 10 states for job gains from April to May had previously lagged in adding construction workers, while energy-producing and other states that had record construction employment a few months ago have slipped.”

Photo credit: zappowbang / Foter / CC BY

Allison Kral

About the Author:

Allison Kral is the former senior digital media manager for North Coast Media (NCM). She completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University where she received a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. She works across a number of digital platforms, which include creating e-newsletters, writing articles and posting across social media sites. She also creates content for NCM's Portable Plants magazine, GPS World magazine and Geospatial Solutions. Her understanding of the ever-changing digital media world allows her to quickly grasp what a target audience desires and create content that is appealing and relevant for any client across any platform.

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