State-Level Analysis of Construction Employment for December

A closer look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics December nationwide total nonfarm payroll report, with a focus on state-by-state construction jobs and additional analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that across the 48 states which reported construction job data (which includes both residential as well as non-residential construction) 28 states reported a month-over-month increase in December. Twenty reported month-over-month declines.

California led the 48 reporting states, adding 7,500 construction jobs, while Missouri reported shedding 4.400 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added 28,000 net jobs in December when compared to November. In terms of percentages, Louisiana increased by 2.6%, while North Dakota reported a decline of 6.4% month-over-month in December.

Year-over-year, the construction job sector in the US increased by 231,000 jobs, or 3.1% increase when compared to December 2021. California added 41,000 jobs in 2022, which was the largest gain of any state, while New Jersey lost 8,900 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, Rhode Island had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector, posting a 17.3% increase. Over the same period, New Jersey posted a 5.5% decline.