State-Level Analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Nonfarm Construction Jobs Released for July 2022

A closer look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment summary for July, with a state-by-state overview and a focus on construction and additional analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that nonfarm payroll employment increased month-over-month in 46 states and the District of Columbia in July compared to the previous month. Four states reported job losses. Nationwide nonfarm payroll increased by 528,000 jobs in July, following a gain of 398,000 job in June.

Of note, in the year-over-year period ending in July, 6.1 million jobs have been recovered, and the U.S. labor market is now back to its pre-pandemic level. All the states and District of Columbia added jobs compared to a year ago. The range of job gains spanned from 740,000 jobs in California to 4,200 jobs added in Alaska. In percentage terms, Texas reported the highest increase with an increase of 5.8%, while Kansas increased by 1.0% compared to a year ago.

According to the NAHB analysis, across the 48 states which reported construction sector jobs data—which includes both residential as well as non-residential construction—31 states reported an increase in July compared to June while 11 lost construction sector jobs. Idaho and Rhode Island reported no change. California added 11,400 construction jobs in July, while New York lost 2,000 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 32,000 jobs in July compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, North Dakota increased by 3.7% while Louisiana reported a decline of 1.1% between June and July.

Year-over-year, construction sector jobs in the U.S. increased by 311,000, which is a 4.2% increase compared to the July 2021 level. Texas added 49,200 jobs, which was the largest gain of any state, while New Jersey lost 2,600 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, New Mexico had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector by 13.5%. Over the same period, New Jersey reported a decline of 1.6%.