Construction employment declined between May and June 2025 in 26 states and Washington, D.C., but increased in 33 states and Washington, D.C., compared to June a year earlier, according to a recent analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
“For the first time since April 2024, construction employment slipped in a majority of states as aggressive deportation measures and a tightening of legal immigration have made it harder to fill construction job openings,” said Ken Simonson, AGC’s Chief Economist. “Without access to qualified workers, contractors will have trouble delivering vital advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, power, and data center projects.”
In addition to the declines in many states, industry employment for the month increased in 21 states and remained unchanged in Hawaii, Mississippi, and New Hampshire.
The largest construction job losses from May to June occurred in:
- Texas (down 4,100 jobs or 0.5 percent)
- Maryland (down 2,400 jobs or 1.5 percent)
- Florida (down 1,600 jobs or 0.2 percent)
- Nevada (down 1,500 jobs or 1.4 percent)
- Colorado (down 1,300 jobs or 0.7 percent)
In addition to those states, the largest job losses by percentage for that time period were in South Dakota (down 1.6 percent or 500 jobs), New Mexico (down 1.3 percent or 800 jobs), and Delaware (down 1.2 percent or 300 jobs).
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The largest increases in construction jobs from May to June occurred in:
- California (up 3,800 jobs or 0.4 percent)
- North Carolina (up 2,300 jobs or 0.8 percent)
- Minnesota (up 2,200 jobs or 1.6 percent)
- Wisconsin (up 2,100 jobs or 1.5 percent)
- Georgia (up 1,800 jobs or 0.8 percent)
The largest percentage gain happened in Montana (up 1.9 percent or 700 jobs), followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin, then Rhode Island (up 1.3 percent or 300 jobs) and Iowa (up 1.1 percent or 1,000 jobs).
For the period between June 2024 and June 2025, 33 states and Washington, D.C., added construction jobs, while 17 states shed jobs. The largest increases occurred in:
- Texas (up 20,900 jobs or 2.4 percent)
- Ohio (up 17,700 jobs or 7.2 percent)
- Michigan (up 11,000 jobs or 5.6 percent)
- North Carolina (up 10,200 jobs or 3.7 percent)
- Virginia (up 9,600 jobs or 4.4 percent)
By percentage, New Mexico had the largest gain over 12 months (up 14.8 percent or 7,900 jobs), followed by West Virginia (up 8.6 percent or 2,900 jobs), Idaho (up 8.1 percent or 5,800 jobs), Ohio, and Alaska (up 7.1 percent or 1,300 jobs).
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In the same period from June 2024 to June 2025, the largest construction job losses occurred in:
- Washington (down 11,300 jobs or 5.0 percent)
- California (down 9,700 jobs or 1.1 percent)
- New York (down 8,500 jobs or 2.2 percent)
- New Jersey (down 6,300 jobs or 4.8 percent)
- Colorado (down 5,100 jobs or 2.7 percent)
Washington also logged the largest percentage loss, followed by New Jersey, Nevada (down 3.5 percent or 3,900 jobs), and Arkansas (down 2.8 percent or 1,900 jobs).
