Construction Hiring Eases in December with Some States Seeing Losses

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.
Latest from NAHBNow
Oct 06, 2025
Make Fire Prevention Part of Your Jobsite Safety CultureOctober 5-11 is National Fire Prevention Week, an annual public outreach and awareness campaign by the National Fire Protection Association.
Oct 03, 2025
NAHB's Monthly Update Features Government Shutdown Talking PointsThe update provides the latest messaging framework to help members articulate housing priorities and latest news related to the recent government shutdown and new tariffs.
Latest Economic News
Oct 03, 2025
Supply-Side Cost Pressures Drove Housing as Inflation Leader in 2024Though the rate of inflation peaked in June 2022, consumer prices continued to increase throughout 2023 and 2024 as inflation drove further price growth, according to 2024 CPI review from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Oct 02, 2025
Square Foot Prices Moderate in 2024Median square foot prices for new single-family detached (SFD) homes started in 2024 grew modestly, according to NAHB’s analysis of the latest Survey of Construction (SOC) data. For custom, or contractor-built, homes, the median price was $166 per square foot of floor space, up slightly from $162 in 2023.
Oct 02, 2025
17% of NAHB Builders Built Age-Restricted Housing in 2024Only 17% of NAHB builder members build age-restricted housing for people age 55 or older, according to 2024 Member Census. This is up two percentage points from the previous year. However, this share has remained within a narrow band (15%-17%) since the question was added to the member census in 2009.