The construction unemployment rate hovered in June below 2% in 10 states, but was at a high of 6.5% in New Mexico, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Associated Builders and Contractors.
Overall, the national unemployment rate for construction was 3.7% in June, slightly higher than the 3.6% unemployment rate in the overall workforce for the same time period.
Within the construction industry, the residential sector continued to outpace nonresidential for employment, and had 112,000 more workers than before the pandemic, despite recent pullbacks in the housing market. Nonresidential employment was still 66,000 jobs below its pre-pandemic peak though, according to ABC.
ABC segmented the employment numbers by state, and highlighted the top and bottom five.
These five states had the lowest construction unemployment rates in June 2022:
- Idaho, 0.9%.
- Nebraska, 0.9%.
- South Dakota, 1.3%.
- Utah, 1.5%.
- Minnesota, 1.6%.
Idaho, Minnesota and Nebraska each posted their lowest June estimated, non-seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rates on record, according to ABC.
These five states had the highest construction unemployment rates in June 2022:
- Delaware, 5.4%.
- Michigan, 5.7%.
- New York, 5.8%.
- West Virginia, 6.3%.
- New Mexico, 6.5%.
While New Mexico had the highest unemployment rate, it also had the largest year-over-year improvement, down from 7.9% in June of 2021, ABC said.
