The national construction unemployment rate was 5.4% in March, unchanged from March 2024, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors’ analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
All states except Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey and Rhode Island had construction unemployment rates below 10%.
Estimated state construction unemployment rates were lower than their pre-pandemic level in much of the country, according to ABC's analysis.
In March, 30 states had lower construction unemployment rates compared with March 2019, and 17 states had higher rates. Alabama, Florida and Minnesota had the same rate.
“Although March state construction unemployment rates show a relatively healthy level of construction employment, rising uncertainty about the business climate over the remainder of this year and 2026 is weighing on contractor and developer plans,” Markstein Advisors Chief Economist Bernard Markstein said in a statement.
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