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

July 25, 2023

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.

Employment, location quotients, and wages of carpenters, by state, May 2022
State Employment Location quotient Hourly mean wage

Alabama

6,160 0.66 20.64

Alaska

2,710 1.90 34.65

Arizona

13,050 0.92 24.20

Arkansas

3,310 0.58 20.49

California

111,340 1.35 33.50

Colorado

14,690 1.14 26.35

Connecticut

6,720 0.88 29.97

Delaware

1,560 0.73 27.53

District of Columbia

1,020 0.32 30.47

Florida

47,600 1.11 22.18

Georgia

9,240 0.43 23.51

Hawaii

5,020 1.81 38.54

Idaho

7,940 2.13 22.11

Illinois

23,470 0.86 34.02

Indiana

14,630 1.02 25.75

Iowa

6,320 0.89 23.87

Kansas

5,530 0.86 24.38

Kentucky

7,680 0.87 23.84

Louisiana

7,300 0.85 23.06

Maine

5,070 1.78 24.47

Maryland

11,140 0.90 27.37

Massachusetts

18,490 1.11 32.90

Michigan

18,510 0.93 26.18

Minnesota

17,190 1.30 29.37

Mississippi

2,670 0.51 20.47

Missouri

17,010 1.29 28.05

Montana

4,800 2.10 23.14

Nebraska

5,680 1.26 22.16

Nevada

13,160 2.00 31.01

New Hampshire

3,610 1.18 25.86

New Jersey

15,050 0.79 35.83

New Mexico

3,020 0.79 22.62

New York

39,570 0.93 33.99

North Carolina

14,710 0.68 21.26

North Dakota

2,820 1.49 24.25

Ohio

16,830 0.67 26.13

Oklahoma

4,680 0.63 21.21

Oregon

13,530 1.53 28.68

Pennsylvania

29,020 1.07 26.64

Rhode Island

3,220 1.44 30.13

South Carolina

9,060 0.90 22.21

South Dakota

4,340 2.14 20.22

Tennessee

9,730 0.67 22.00

Texas

33,830 0.56 23.04

Utah

11,750 1.55 23.64

Vermont

2,760 2.02 25.55

Virginia

16,360 0.91 23.80

Washington

26,470 1.67 33.24

West Virginia

3,790 1.20 21.54

Wisconsin

14,120 1.07 26.73

Wyoming

2,490 1.99 26.04

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.

Employment, location quotients, and wages of construction laborers, by state, May 2022
State Employment Location quotient Hourly mean wage

Alabama

16,390 1.19 15.93

Alaska

2,640 1.26 25.61

Arizona

27,410 1.32 20.70

Arkansas

8,480 1.01 16.90

California

95,900 0.79 27.03

Colorado

20,740 1.09 20.61

Connecticut

7,830 0.70 25.51

Delaware

2,640 0.85 20.65

District of Columbia

2,370 0.50 21.58

Florida

68,150 1.08 18.12

Georgia

26,090 0.83 17.92

Hawaii

4,320 1.06 32.04

Idaho

7,490 1.37 19.21

Illinois

27,680 0.69 31.53

Indiana

23,060 1.09 23.00

Iowa

11,870 1.14 21.51

Kansas

9,680 1.02 18.94

Kentucky

12,010 0.92 20.34

Louisiana

23,320 1.84 18.99

Maine

3,460 0.83 19.60

Maryland

20,060 1.11 20.73

Massachusetts

20,490 0.84 31.22

Michigan

28,350 0.97 22.13

Minnesota

24,000 1.24 26.03

Mississippi

7,380 0.95 16.46

Missouri

14,950 0.77 25.07

Montana

4,290 1.28 22.35

Nebraska

5,760 0.87 19.73

Nevada

10,430 1.08 22.86

New Hampshire

3,010 0.67 20.80

New Jersey

20,120 0.71 31.53

New Mexico

11,640 2.08 17.87

New York

48,320 0.77 28.50

North Carolina

31,600 0.99 17.67

North Dakota

3,560 1.28 22.35

Ohio

32,760 0.89 24.62

Oklahoma

11,000 1.00 18.81

Oregon

12,470 0.96 23.68

Pennsylvania

37,970 0.95 24.11

Rhode Island

2,590 0.79 25.87

South Carolina

18,260 1.24 18.37

South Dakota

1,650 0.55 17.81

Tennessee

24,150 1.13 18.56

Texas

112,760 1.27 18.08

Utah

20,570 1.85 20.41

Vermont

2,190 1.09 21.00

Virginia

23,370 0.88 18.07

Washington

29,890 1.28 27.23

West Virginia

6,740 1.45 19.57

Wisconsin

17,990 0.93 23.34

Wyoming

2,940 1.60 19.45

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.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, High concentrations of carpenters in South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana in 2022 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/high-concentrations-of-carpenters-in-south-dakota-idaho-and-montana-in-2022.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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