State-Level Analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Nonfarm Construction Jobs in April 2022

A deeper dive into the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment summary for April, with a state-by-state view and a focus on construction, with additional analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that nonfarm payroll employment increased month-over-month in 41 states and the District of Columbia in April, while 8 states lost jobs and North Dakota reported no change. Nationwide nonfarm payroll increased by 428,000 jobs, with March having an equivalent gain.

Of note, year-over-year ending in April, 6.6 million jobs have been recovered, marking the economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic induced recession. All the states and District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of job gains spanned from 925,200 jobs in California to 6,700 jobs added in Vermont. In percentage terms, Nevada reported the highest increase by 8.0%, while Kansas increased by 1.7% compared to a year ago.

According to the analysis, across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data—which includes both residential as well as non-residential construction—26 states reported an increase in April compared to March, while 20 lost construction sector jobs. Alaska and Rhode Island reported no change. Florida added 4,300 construction jobs while California lost 13,200 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 2,000 jobs in April compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, South Dakota increased by 1.5% while Arkansas reported a decline of -2.7% between March and April.

Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 235,000, which is a 3.2% increase compared to the April 2021 level. Texas added 36,600 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while Pennsylvania lost -2,500 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, Wyoming had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 11.5%. Over this period, Kentucky reported a decline of -2.8%.