State by State Construction Sector Employment Analysis from January’s Nonfarm Payroll Report

Further analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics January nonfarm payroll report, provided by the National Association of Home Builders, reveals that nonfarm payroll increased in 36 states in January compared to December, while 14 states and D.C. reported job losses. Looking at the report with an eye specifically on the construction sector, which includes both residential and non-residential construction, across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data, 25 states reported an increase in January compared to December, while 19 states lost construction sector jobs. Four states reported no change. In percentage terms, Vermont increased by 3.4% while South Carolina reported a decline of -3.0% between December and January. Year-over-year, the U.S lost 214,000 construction sector jobs, which is a -2.8% decrease compared to January 2020. Idaho added 4,700 jobs, which was the largest gains of any state, while Texas lost 49,700 jobs, which was the largest decline of any state. In percentage terms, Idaho had the highest annual growth rate in construction sector by 8.6%. Over this period, Louisiana reported the largest decline at 13.6%.