Construction employment rose in 38 states from January 2025 to January 2026, while 40 states and the District of Columbia added jobs between December and January, according to an Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis of federal data.
Association officials called on policymakers in Washington to provide adequate support for training to enable workers to acquire in-demand skills and to allow qualified workers into the U.S when needed workers are unavailable.
“January was a good month for construction employment in many states despite harsh weather in much of the country,” says Ken Simonson, AGC’s chief economist. “However, continued employment gains will depend on having enough workers with the right skills, especially to build data centers and power projects.”
Between January 2025 and January 2026, 38 states added construction jobs, 11 states shed jobs and employment held steady in South Dakota.
Texas added the most construction jobs year over year (30,100 jobs, up 3.4 percent), followed by Missouri (19,800 jobs, up 13.9 percent), Illinois (14,000 jobs, up 5.9 percent), North Carolina (10,200 jobs, up 3.7 percent) and Wisconsin (9,000 jobs, up 6.3 percent). West Virginia had the largest percentage gain over 12 months (4,900 jobs, up 15 percent), followed by Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota (7,000 jobs, up 5 percent).
California lost the most construction jobs in the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2026 (15,400 jobs, down 1.7 percent), followed by Florida (8,800 jobs, down 1.3 percent), Oregon (3,900 jobs, down 3.4 percent), Arizona (3,800 jobs, down 1.7 percent) and Massachusetts (1,700 jobs, down 1 percent). The largest percentage loss was in Oregon, followed by Alaska (600 jobs, down 3.1 percent), New Mexico (1,400 jobs, down 2.5 percent), California and Arizona.
For the month, industry employment increased in 40 states, declined in nine states and was unchanged in New Hampshire and D.C.
Illinois added the most construction jobs (13,500 jobs, up 5.7 percent), followed by Texas (11,800 jobs, up 1.3 percent), Missouri (7,100 jobs, up 4.6 percent), California (6,100 jobs, up 0.7 percent) and Pennsylvania (4,600 jobs, up 1.7 percent). The largest percentage gain occurred in West Virginia (2,100 jobs, up 5.9 percent), followed by Illinois, Missouri, Nevada (3,500 jobs, up 3.2 percent) and Alaska (500 jobs, up 2.7 percent).
Idaho experienced the largest number and percentage of construction job losses from December to January (3,400 jobs, down 4.4 percent). Other states with significant numerical losses include Tennessee (1,200 jobs, down 0.7 percent) and Mississippi (900 jobs, down 1.7 percent). Other states with notable percentage losses include Mississippi, Kansas (600 jobs, down 0.8 percent), Tennessee and Arkansas (400 jobs, down 0.6 percent).
Association officials note that the industry has a critical need for electricians and other workers with the skills to construct data centers and power projects. They urge the federal government to direct more funding to career and technical education and workforce training, and to offer a pathway to employ the workers needed from other countries.
“Contractors are eager to employ workers with the skills to execute needed projects but government must do more to fill the pipeline of potential hires,” says Jeffrey Shoaf, AGC’s CEO. “The federal government should increase support for state, local, and industry efforts to provide workers with the right skills. Meanwhile, contractors should be allowed to fill open positions with qualified workers from other countries when there is a demonstrated lack of available, qualified workers.”