Construction employment rose in exactly half of US metro areas over the past year, with the gains concentrated in places where data center, power, and factory projects are being built. That is the finding of an Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis of government data, released Oct. 28.
Between September 2025 and September 2026, 180 of 360 metro areas added construction jobs, 118 lost jobs, and 62 were unchanged. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, Texas, added the most jobs, at 13,800, or 5%. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was close behind with 12,300, a 27% increase that was also the largest percentage gain in the country.
The split matters because it shows how unevenly construction demand is now spread. Hiring has grown where large data center and power projects are underway, while in many other markets, AGC says, projects are being delayed or canceled.
Data centers and power projects are driving construction hiring
AGC chief economist Ken Simonson linked the gains to the type of work underway, saying demand for many other types of projects “has been stalled by rising costs and/or political uncertainty.”…