Construction employment rises in 34 states and District of Columbia from January 2024 to January 2025; Texas and Idaho post highest 12-month gains while California shows largest decline

Texas and Idaho Have Highest Number and Percent of 12-Month Gains, While California and Massachusetts Lag; Utah and Idaho Top Lists of Monthly Gains; Florida and Arkansas Have Worst Losses from December to January

Construction employment increased in 34 states and the District of Columbia in January from a year earlier, while 23 states added construction jobs between December and January, according to a new analysisState Construction Employment (seasonally adjusted), January 2024 to January 2025 January December January 1-month gain or loss 12-month gain or loss 2024 2024 2025 Number % # rank % rank** Number % # rank % rank** Alabama 1 04,900 1 08,700 1 08,400 -300 -0.3% 33 35 3,500 3.3% 14 11 Alaska 1 8,100 1 8,500 1 8,700 200 1.1% 20 9 600 3.3% 29 11 Arizona 2 29,400 2 21,300 2 21,700 400 0.2% 15 21 -7,700 -3.4% 49 49 Arkansas 6 5,400 6 7,300 6 6,200 -1,100 -1.6% 42 51 800 1.2% 27 27 California 9 29,300 9 03,400 9 01,700 -1,700 -0.2% 47 32 -27,600 -3.0% 51 45 Colorado 1 84,800 1 86,800 1 84,400 -2,400 -1.3% 48 47 -400 -0.2% 38 37 Connecticut 6 2,500 6 3,100 6 2,300 -800 -1.3% 38 47 -200 -0.3% 37 39 Delaware* 2 4,100 2 4,500 2 4,600 100 0.4% 23 15 500 2.1% 31 23 District of Columbia* 1 4,500 1 4,900 1 4,900 0 0.0% 24 24 400 2.8% 33 16 Florida 6 42,000 6 57,800 6 52,700 -5,100 -0.8% 51 42 10,700 1.7% 2 25 Georgia 2 25,900 2 27,600 2 26,600 -1,000 -0.4% 41 38 700 0.3% 28 35 Hawaii* 3 8,700 3 8,900 3 8,900 0 0.0% 24 24 200 0.5% 34 33 Idaho 6 9,600 7 4,300 7 7,300 3,000 4.0% 2 1 7,700 11.1% 5 1 Illinois 2 35,900 2 31,900 2 32,500 600 0.3% 12 18 -3,400 -1.4% 45 42 Indiana 1 66,600 1 67,900 1 67,600 -300 -0.2% 33 32 1,000 0.6% 24 32 Iowa 8 4,700 8 2,800 8 2,000 -800 -1.0% 38 45 -2,700 -3.2% 44 47 Kansas 6 7,100 7 2,500 7 2,800 300 0.4% 18 15 5,700 8.5% 9 2 Kentucky 9 2,800 9 4,700 9 3,900 -800 -0.8% 38 42 1,100 1.2% 23 27 Louisiana 1 36,200 1 39,300 1 39,100 -200 -0.1% 32 31 2,900 2.1% 17 23 Maine 3 5,100 3 5,100 3 5,100 0 0.0% 24 24 0 0.0% 36 36 Maryland 1 64,400 1 59,700 1 58,400 -1,300 -0.8% 43 42 -6,000 -3.6% 47 50 Massachusetts 1 72,300 1 65,400 1 65,600 200 0.1% 20 23 -6,700 -3.9% 48 51 Michigan 1 93,800 1 98,600 1 99,600 1,000 0.5% 8 13 5,800 3.0% 8 15 Minnesota 1 36,400 1 39,000 1 40,200 1,200 0.9% 7 11 3,800 2.8% 13 16 Mississippi 4 9,100 5 0,600 5 2,400 1,800 3.6% 3 2 3,300 6.7% 15 4 Missouri 1 43,400 1 45,100 1 44,600 -500 -0.3% 37 35 1,200 0.8% 22 30 Montana 3 7,300 3 6,000 3 6,500 500 1.4% 14 6 -800 -2.1% 41 44 Nebraska 6 0,000 6 1,900 6 1,900 0 0.0% 24 24 1,900 3.2% 18 13 Nevada 1 11,400 1 12,300 1 11,000 -1,300 -1.2% 43 46 -400 -0.4% 38 40 New Hampshire 3 2,100 3 2,700 3 2,600 -100 -0.3% 31 35 500 1.6% 31 26 New Jersey 1 65,600 1 64,800 1 64,800 0 0.0% 24 24 -800 -0.5% 41 41 New Mexico 5 3,500 5 5,900 5 6,500 600 1.1% 12 9 3,000 5.6% 16 8 New York 3 96,200 3 86,900 3 84,500 -2,400 -0.6% 48 40 -11,700 -3.0% 50 45 North Carolina 2 68,300 2 73,900 2 74,900 1,000 0.4% 8 15 6,600 2.5% 7 21 North Dakota 2 8,800 2 9,700 2 9,700 0 0.0% 24 24 900 3.1% 25 14 Ohio 2 42,300 2 52,000 2 50,700 -1,300 -0.5% 43 39 8,400 3.5% 3 10 Oklahoma 8 5,200 8 8,700 9 0,200 1,500 1.7% 5 4 5,000 5.9% 10 7 Oregon 1 16,600 1 17,100 1 17,500 400 0.3% 15 18 900 0.8% 25 30 Pennsylvania 2 60,600 2 61,100 2 61,900 800 0.3% 10 18 1,300 0.5% 21 33 Rhode Island 2 1,700 2 2,600 2 2,300 -300 -1.3% 33 47 600 2.8% 29 16 South Carolina 1 15,100 1 21,400 1 23,200 1,800 1.5% 3 5 8,100 7.0% 4 3 South Dakota 2 8,500 2 9,800 3 0,200 400 1.3% 15 7 1,700 6.0% 19 5 Tennessee 1 60,500 1 64,900 1 64,600 -300 -0.2% 33 32 4,100 2.6% 11 20 Texas 8 42,500 8 60,900 8 62,300 1,400 0.2% 6 21 19,800 2.4% 1 22 Utah 1 36,300 1 39,900 1 43,200 3,300 2.4% 1 3 6,900 5.1% 6 9 Vermont 1 6,200 1 6,200 1 6,400 200 1.2% 20 8 200 1.2% 34 27 Virginia 2 16,600 2 19,000 2 16,100 -2,900 -1.3% 50 47 -500 -0.2% 40 37 Washington 2 25,600 2 23,100 2 21,800 -1,300 -0.6% 43 40 -3,800 -1.7% 46 43 West Virginia 3 4,500 3 3,100 3 3,400 300 0.9% 18 11 -1,100 -3.2% 43 47 Wisconsin 1 39,500 1 42,700 1 43,400 700 0.5% 11 13 3,900 2.8% 12 16 Wyoming 2 3,300 2 4,700 2 4,700 0 0.0% 24 24 1,400 6.0% 20 5 *BLS posts only combined construction, mining and logging data for these locations. **Rank is based on 50 states plus D.C. Source: Associated General Contractors of America, www.agc.org, from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, www.bls.gov/sae, 3/17/2025. of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America today. Association officials noted that fewer states added jobs in January compared to prior months amid rising uncertainty about project funding and worries about proposed tariffs on construction costs.

“While two-thirds of the states added construction jobs over the past year, gains were much less widespread recently,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Some of the job losses in January may be due to bad weather, but many owners have paused projects in the face of rising uncertainty about funding and tariffs.”

Between January 2024 and January 2025, 34 states and D.C. added construction jobs, 15 states shed jobs, and employment was unchanged in Maine. Texas added the most construction employees (19,800 jobs or 2.4 percent), followed by Florida (10,700 jobs, 1.7 percent), Ohio (8,400 jobs, 3.5 percent), South Carolina (8,100 jobs, 7.0 percent), and Idaho (7,700 jobs, 11.1 percent). Idaho had the largest percentage gain over 12 months, followed by Kansas (8.5 percent, 5,700 jobs), South Carolina, and Mississippi (6.7 percent, 3,300 jobs).

California lost the most construction jobs from January 2024 to January 2025 (-27,600 jobs, -3.0 percent), followed by New York (-11,700 jobs, -3.0 percent), Arizona (-7,700 jobs, -3.4 percent), Massachusetts (-6,700 jobs, -3.9 percent), and Maryland (-6,000 jobs, -3.6 percent). The largest percentage loss was in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland, Arizona, West Virginia (-3.2 percent, -1,100 jobs), and Iowa (-3.2 percent, -2,700 jobs,).

For the month, industry employment increased in 23 states, declined in 20 states, and was unchanged in six states and D.C. Utah added the most construction jobs (3,300 jobs or 2.4 percent), followed by Idaho (3,000 jobs, 4.0 percent), South Carolina (1,800 jobs, 1.5 percent), Mississippi (1,800, 3.6 percent), and Oklahoma (1,500 jobs, 1.7 percent). The largest percentage gain occurred in Idaho, followed by Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

Florida lost the most construction jobs from December to January (-5,100 jobs or -0.8 percent), followed by Virginia (-2,900 jobs, -1.3 percent), Colorado (-2,400 jobs, -1.3 percent), and New York (-2,400 jobs, -0.6 percent). Arkansas lost the highest percentage of jobs for the month (-1.6 percent, -1,100 jobs), followed by losses of 1.3 percent in Virginia, Colorado, Rhode Island (-300 jobs), and Connecticut (-800 jobs).

Association officials urged the Trump administration to quickly resolve the underlying disputes prompting many of the proposed and put-in-place tariffs on products, or to exclude construction materials from those tariffs. They noted that the mere threat of tariffs is leading to rising materials prices, making some prior-planned development and infrastructure projects less viable.

“The more expensive construction becomes, the less likely manufacturers will be able to afford to build the domestic factories the administration is trying to stimulate,” said Jeffrey Shoaf, the association’s chief executive officer. “Exempting construction materials from additional tariffs will make it easier for manufacturers to boost domestic production by making it easier to build factories.”