Just One More Week
 
Industry Pulse Check Closes June 15. Learn more
 

Construction Hiring Eases in December with Some States Seeing Losses

Economics
Published

The U.S. construction industry added 8,000 jobs in December and some 196,000 jobs over the course of 2024. But those numbers are down from November as more states saw losses in construction jobs.

Overall, the U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in December, up from the 212,000 added in November. All states showed job growth except West Virginia, which was flat, and South Dakota, which registered a small drop in overall hiring.

The construction sector added a total of 8,000 last month, down from 10,000 in November. The data showed that 26 states reported an increase in December compared to November, while 20 states lost construction sector jobs, with the rest seeing flat results.

Washington, with the highest increase, added 4,000 construction jobs, while New York, on the other end of the spectrum, lost 4,400 jobs. In percentage terms, South Dakota reported the highest increase at 1.9%, and Mississippi reported the largest decline at 2.2%.

Year-over-year data showed an increase of 196,000 construction jobs in 2024. The year-over-year change dipped from November, which saw construction employment rise by 211,000 in the previous 12 months.

Texas added 31,500 construction jobs in 2024, which was the largest gain of any state, while California lost 12,400 construction sector jobs. In percentage terms, Alaska had the highest annual growth rate in the construction sector at 18.9%. Over this period, West Virginia reported the largest decline of 3.4%.

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, NAHB assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis, provides more in this Eye on Housing post.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Advocacy

Jun 10, 2026

Over 1,100 Housing Advocates Call on Congress to Address Affordability

More than 1,100 builders, remodelers and other housing industry professionals went to Capitol Hill today to call for congressional action to improve affordability and help builders to increase the production of affordable, attainable homes.

Codes and Standards

Jun 09, 2026

Connecticut Moves Toward 6-Year Building Code Cycle in Possible Trend

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has signed into law a bill that lays the groundwork to expand the state’s building code adoption cycle to every six years rather than the current three years.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Jun 10, 2026

Inflation Surpassed 4% in May

Inflation accelerated to a new three-year high in May, driven by continued increases in energy costs from the Iran war. Energy costs drove more than 60% of the monthly increase, with national gasoline prices jumping more than a dollar since the war began.

Economics

Jun 10, 2026

Home Building Regulatory Cost Burdens Increased 40% from 2021 to 2026

A new NAHB study shows that, on average, regulations imposed by government at all levels account for $131,734, or 26.4%, of the final price of a new single-family home built for sale. Of this amount, $46,795 is due to a higher price for the finished lot, attributable to regulations imposed during the lot’s development.

Economics

Jun 09, 2026

Existing Home Sales Increased in May

Existing home sales rose to a five-month high in May as more first-time buyers stepped back into the market. The share of first-time buyer reached 35% in May, the highest since June 2020. However, sales remained weak compared to historical norms, with still-tight inventory continued to push up home prices.