U.S. construction activity is shifting fast, and the 2025 figures make that change hard to ignore. While some segments are showing solid momentum, others are being pulled tight by higher costs and uneven demand signals. If you want to understand what is actually driving the divergence across projects, the dataset has plenty of specifics worth checking.
Key Takeaways
- Total construction spending was $2.1 trillion in 2023, up 7.1% from 2022
- In 2023, the US construction industry contributed approximately $1.8 trillion to the GDP, representing about 4% of the total US GDP
- Construction employment in the US stood at 8.1 million in December 2023, up 4.5% from prior year
- US construction industry expected to grow at 4.2% CAGR to $1.9 trillion by 2028
- Construction fatalities totaled 1,056 in 2022, rate of 9.6 per 100,000 workers
US construction productivity is improving, but project costs and skilled labor shortages remain major challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Construction Spending and Investment20 stats
01
Total construction spending was $2.1 trillion in 2023, up 7.1% from 2022
02
Private residential spending reached $908 billion in 2023
03
Nonresidential private spending totaled $722 billion in 2023
04
Public construction spending hit $488 billion in 2023, up 10%
05
Highway construction spending increased 12% to $152 billion in 2023
06
Manufacturing facilities spending surged 70% to $200 billion in 2023
07
Single-family home construction spending was $280 billion in 2023
08
IIJA allocated $550 billion new infrastructure spending over 5 years starting 2022
09
Data center construction investment hit $50 billion in 2023
10
Educational construction spending was $98 billion in 2023
11
Office building spending declined 5% to $65 billion in 2023
12
Renewable energy construction spending reached $40 billion in 2023
13
Water supply and sewage spending totaled $45 billion in 2023
14
Multifamily residential spending was $120 billion in 2023, down 10%
15
Power plant construction investment was $80 billion in 2023
16
Healthcare facilities spending hit $55 billion in 2023
17
Lodging construction spending fell 15% to $25 billion in 2023
18
Amusement/recreation spending was $18 billion in 2023
19
CHIPS Act spurred $200 billion in semiconductor fab construction commitments by 2023
20
Construction starts value was $981 billion in 2023, down 5% YoY
Interpretation
Construction Spending and Investment Interpretation
The American construction sector is in a dramatic and contradictory dance, where the roaring comeback of manufacturing and infrastructure is undercut by a hesitant housing market and a ghost town of empty offices, proving that even a $2.1 trillion economy can't build its way out of a split personality.
02 · Category
Economic Impact and Market Size20 stats
01
In 2023, the US construction industry contributed approximately $1.8 trillion to the GDP, representing about 4% of the total US GDP
02
The construction sector's value added to GDP grew by 8.9% in 2023 compared to 2022, outpacing the overall economy's 2.5% growth
03
Total construction spending in the US reached $2.1 trillion in 2023, up 7% from 2022
04
Residential construction accounted for 23% of total construction spending in 2023, totaling around $483 billion
05
Nonresidential construction spending hit $1.07 trillion in 2023, driven by manufacturing and infrastructure
06
The construction industry's multiplier effect on the economy is estimated at 11,000 jobs per $1 billion invested
07
In 2022, construction establishments numbered 919,000 across the US
08
Construction output per worker increased by 4.2% in 2023 to $285,000 annually
09
The industry's share of private fixed investment was 5.8% in 2023
10
Export-related construction activity contributed $120 billion in 2023
11
Manufacturing construction boom added $200 billion in spending from 2021-2023
12
Infrastructure construction represented 12% of total spending in 2023 at $252 billion
13
The ENR Top 400 Contractors had combined revenues of $468 billion in 2023
14
Construction backlog reached $1.3 trillion industry-wide in Q4 2023
15
Productivity in construction grew 1.1% annually from 2017-2022, lagging other sectors
16
US construction imports totaled $45 billion in building materials in 2023
17
The industry supported 8.8 million jobs indirectly in 2023 via supply chains
18
Federal construction grants disbursed $100 billion under IIJA in first two years
19
Private construction investment rose 11% to $1.2 trillion in 2023
20
State and local government construction spending increased 5.4% to $300 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Economic Impact and Market Size Interpretation
While its productivity growth may be a sleepy 1.1%, the US construction industry is clearly wide awake, building a $2.1 trillion engine that not only outpaced the entire economy but also generates a cascade of jobs and investment, proving you can't have a GDP without first laying the groundwork.
03 · Category
Employment Statistics21 stats
01
Construction employment in the US stood at 8.1 million in December 2023, up 4.5% from prior year
02
Average hourly earnings for construction workers reached $34.50in Q4 2023, a 5.2% increase YoY
03
Construction unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2023, below national average of 3.7%
04
There were 745,000 job openings in construction in November 2023
05
Labor force participation in construction was 63.2% in 2023
06
Hispanic workers comprised 30% of construction workforce in 2023, totaling 2.4 million
07
Women represented 10.9% of construction employment in 2023, up from 9.8% in 2020
08
Union membership in construction was 12.4% in 2023, highest among major industries
09
Construction added 200,000 net new jobs in 2023
10
Self-employed construction workers numbered 2.1 million in 2023, 25% of total
11
Entry-level construction wages averaged $22/hour in 2023
12
75% of contractors reported labor shortages as top issue in 2023 survey
13
Apprenticeship programs enrolled 120,000 new construction workers in 2023
14
Construction job quits rate was 2.8% monthly average in 2023
15
Multi-trade contractors employed 1.2 million in specialty trades in 2023
16
Veteran employment in construction reached 1.1 million in 2023, 14% of workforce
17
Overtime hours in construction averaged 3.8 hours/week in 2023
18
Construction hiring plans index hit 45 in Q1 2024 survey, indicating expansion
19
65% of construction firms increased wages by over 5% in 2023
20
Electrical contractors employed 700,000 workers in 2023
21
Job tenure average in construction was 4.2 years in 2023
Interpretation
Employment Statistics Interpretation
The construction industry is booming so vigorously that it's practically building its own labor force from scratch, raising wages to tempting heights while still desperately waving a help-wanted sign at nearly three-quarters of a million open positions.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends and Projections20 stats
01
US construction industry expected to grow at 4.2% CAGR to $1.9 trillion by 2028
02
Modular construction market projected to reach $160 billion by 2030, CAGR 7.5%
03
Green building certifications expected to cover 30% of new construction by 2025
04
Prefabrication adoption to rise to 25% of projects by 2027
05
BIM usage in construction projected at 80% by 2025
06
Labor productivity growth forecasted at 2.8% annually through 2030
07
Infrastructure spending to average $300 billion/year through 2026 under IIJA
08
Residential construction starts to rebound 10% in 2024 to 1.4 million units
09
Semiconductor construction backlog to peak at $300 billion by 2025
10
EV charging station builds to reach 500,000 by 2030, requiring $60 billion investment
11
3D printing in construction market to grow to $50 billion globally by 2030, US share 40%
12
Digital twin adoption to hit 50% in large projects by 2027
13
Net-zero buildings to comprise 20% of commercial starts by 2030
14
Construction robotics market projected at $10 billion by 2028 in US
15
Supply chain disruptions to ease, reducing delays by 30% by 2025
16
Data centers to require 20 GW new capacity by 2030, $200 billion construction
17
Workforce aging to create 500,000 annual openings through 2030
18
AI integration to boost project efficiency 15-20% by 2027
19
Affordable housing shortage to drive $1 trillion investment need by 2030
20
Climate-resilient infrastructure retrofits to cost $500 billion by 2040
Interpretation
Industry Trends and Projections Interpretation
The numbers paint a clear, and rather expensive, picture: American construction is racing toward a smarter, greener, and more modular future, but it will need to build its way out of a half-trillion-dollar labor hole while the concrete is still wet.
05 · Category
Safety and Injury Data21 stats
01
Construction fatalities totaled 1,056 in 2022, rate of 9.6 per 100,000 workers
02
Falls from height caused 33% of construction deaths in 2022, totaling 348 fatalities
03
Struck-by incidents accounted for 10% of construction fatalities in 2022
04
Nonfatal injury rate in construction was 2.0 cases per 100 workers in 2022
05
Musculoskeletal disorders made up 28% of nonfatal construction injuries in 2022
06
OSHA cited 25,000 construction violations in FY2023
07
Heat-related illnesses in construction rose 20% from 2016-2022
08
85% of construction fatalities involved workers age 25-54 in 2022
09
Electrical fatalities in construction numbered 72 in 2022
10
Days away from work averaged 71 days for construction injuries in 2022
11
Trench collapse deaths totaled 21 in 2022, despite OSHA standards
12
Safety training reduced incident rates by 25% in trained firms per 2023 study
13
PPE non-compliance caused 15% of citations in construction FY2023
14
Construction had highest fatal injury rate among industries at 9.6 per 100k in 2022
15
Vehicle-related incidents killed 140 construction workers in 2022
16
Silica exposure violations topped 1,200 in construction FY2023
17
Fatigue contributed to 13% of construction accidents per NSC 2023 report
18
Scaffolding failures caused 59 deaths in 2022
19
Lost workday injury rate fell 5% to 1.2 per 100 in 2022
20
Hispanic workers had 20% higher fatality rate at 11.5 per 100k in 2022
21
Crane-related deaths totaled 28 in 2022
Interpretation
Safety and Injury Data Interpretation
For all its impressive skylines, the U.S. construction industry is still tragically building its foundation of fatalities from falls, its scaffolding of silica violations, and its framework of preventable tragedies, all while proven tools like training and compliance wait in the toolbox.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Us Construction Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-construction-industry-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Us Construction Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/us-construction-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Us Construction Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-construction-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level