Construction Jobs Increase In 34 States And D.C. Between December 2024 And December 2025; 20 States And D.C. Add Construction Jobs In December

Texas and Hawaii Have Highest 12-Month Increases, While California and Nevada Have the Worst Declines in 2025; Arizona and Montana Top Lists of Monthly Gainers; Minnesota Has the Worst Number and Percent of Monthly Losses

Construction employment rose in 34 states and the District of Columbia over the past year, while 20 states and D.C. added jobs between November and December, according to an analysisof new federal data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called on policy makers in Washington to work promptly on enacting the next transportation legislation to enable contractors to avoid having to lay off workers.

"Although a majority of states added construction employees over the year, employment has stalled in the latest month," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Too many projects have been postponed or canceled due to lack of funding, financing costs, or policy uncertainty about tariffs and immigration enforcement."

Between December 2024 and December 2025, 34 states and D.C. added construction jobs, 15 states shed jobs, and employment held steady in Maine. Texas added the most construction jobs (15,700 or 1.8 percent), followed by North Carolina (14,400 jobs, 5.3 percent), Ohio (14,300 jobs, 5.7 percent), Missouri (8,500 jobs, 5.9 percent), and Illinois (7,900 jobs, 3.4 percent). Hawaii had the largest percentage gain for the year (8.7 percent, 3,400 jobs), followed by Iowa (8.6 percent, 7,100 jobs), Idaho (8.2 percent, 6,100 jobs), West Virginia (7.6 percent, 3,500 jobs), and New Mexico (6.8 percent, 3,800 jobs).

California lost the most construction jobs during the past 12 months (-19,800 jobs, -2.2 percent), followed byNew York(-15,700 jobs, -4.1 percent), Washington (-11,600 jobs, -5.2 percent), Nevada (-10,500 jobs, -9.3 percent), and New Jersey (-10,200 jobs, -6.2 percent). The largest percentage loss was in Nevada, followed by New Jersey, Washington, New York, and Vermont (-3.7 percent, -600 jobs).

For the month, industry employment increased in 20 states and D.C., declined in 26 states, and was unchanged in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Arizona addedthe most construction jobs (3,900 jobs or 1.7 percent), followed by Wisconsin (3,100 jobs, 2.1 percent) and Washington (1,500 jobs, 0.7 percent). The largest percentage gain occurred in Montana (3.0 percent, 1,100 jobs), followed by Wisconsin and Arizona.

Minnesota experienced the largest number and percentage of construction job losses from November to December (-9,900 jobs, -6.6 percent). Other states with large numerical losses include California(-5,000 jobs, -0.6 percent), Texas (-4,500 jobs, -0.5 percent), Michigan (-3,800 jobs, -1.8 percent), and Virginia (-3,400 jobs, -1.5 percent). Other states with large percentage losses include Oklahoma (-2.4 percent, -2,200 jobs), Oregon (-2.1 percent, -2,500 jobs), Michigan, and Kansas (-1.6 percent, -1,200 jobs).

Association officials noted that one reason employment has stagnated or declined in a majority of states is a pullback in funding for highway projects. They urged policy makers in Washington to make sure the next federal-aid surface transportation program gets enacted by September 30, when the current authorization expires.

"Contractors need to know that highway funds will keep flowing before they can commit to hiring or retaining essential workers," said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. "It's imperative that the Trump administration and Congress provide that certainty by working now on the specifics of the next surface transportation bill."

View December 2025 state employment dataand 1-month, 12-month rankings.