US construction employment increased in 272 (76 percent) out of 358 metro areas between June 2017 and June 2018, declined in 44 (12 percent) and was unchanged in 42 areas, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America.
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas metro area added the most construction jobs during the past year (19,300 jobs, 9 percent), while the largest percentage gain occurred in Merced, Calif. (700 jobs, 28 percent).
The largest job losses from June 2017 to June 2018 were in Middlesex-Monmouth-Ocean, N.J. (-3,400 jobs, -8 percent), while the largest percentage decreases—10 percent each—occurred in Columbia, S.C. (-2,100 jobs), and Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. (-100 jobs).