High concentrations of carpenters in South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana in 2022

Construction and extraction occupations had employment of 6.1 million in May 2022. Two of the largest construction and extraction occupations were carpenters (689,770) and construction laborers (1.0 million), which made up 28 percent of employment in this occupational group combined. Larger states had some of the highest employment levels of carpenters and construction laborers. However, the states with the highest concentrations of these occupations were mainly in the West. We calculate employment concentrations with a measure called a location quotient.

California (111,340), Florida (47,600), and New York (39,570) were the states with the largest number of jobs for carpenters. As a share of state employment, South Dakota had more than two times as many carpenters as the national share. Idaho and Montana (each with a location quotient of 2.1) were also among the states with the highest concentrations of this occupation.

Texas (112,760), California (95,900), and Florida (68,150) were the states with the largest employment of construction laborers. States with the highest concentrations of this occupation included New Mexico (location quotient of 2.1), Utah (1.9), and Louisiana (1.8).

These data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. To learn more, see the May 2022 state occupational employment and wage estimates. Location quotients represent the ratio of an occupation's share of state employment to that occupation's share of national employment. For example, an occupation that makes up 10 percent of state employment compared with 2 percent of U.S. employment would have a location quotient of 5 for that state. These estimates do not include the self-employed.