How Many People Work in Residential Construction in Your State?
The latest American Community Survey reports that 11.2 million people, including self-employed workers, were employed in construction in 2022. According to NAHB estimates, 4.7 million of these individuals worked in residential construction, representing 2.9% of the U.S. employed civilian labor force.
According to NAHB, not surprisingly, the most populous state — California — also has the most residential construction workers. Over 650,000 California residents worked in home building in 2022, accounting for 3.4% of the state employed labor force.
In terms of percentages, fast-growing states with a high prevalence of seasonal, vacation homes top the list of states with the highest share of residential construction workers in 2022. Three states in the Mountain Division — Idaho, Utah, and Montana — take the top spots on the list with 5.9%, 5.4% and 4.8%, respectively, of the employed labor force working in home building. Florida — which has registered one of the fastest growing populations since the start of the pandemic — is next on the list with a share of 4.4%, down from its peak in 2006 at 6.5%.
In addition, 10 other states register shares of residential construction workers that approach 4%:
- Maine (3.9%),
- Wyoming (3.8%),
- Vermont (3.8%),
- Washington, Colorado, New Hampshire and Nevada (3.7%), and
- Arizona, North Carolina, and Oregon (3.5%).
