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Midland, Texas, had highest employment concentration of construction and extraction occupations in May 2025

May 27, 2026

Construction and extraction occupations had employment of 6.4 million in May 2025, representing 4.1 percent of total U.S. employment. This occupational group includes construction trades workers, such as carpenters and electricians; other construction-related occupations, such as construction and building inspectors; and occupations related to natural resource extraction, such as oil and gas derrick operators.

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Chart Data

Employment and location quotients for construction and extraction occupations, by metropolitan area, May 2025
Area	Employment	Location quotient
Abilene, TX	3,370	1.09
Akron, OH	10,900	0.83
Albany, GA	2,030	0.84
Albany, OR	2,590	1.33
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	16,920	0.91
Albuquerque, NM	20,910	1.25
Alexandria, LA	2,720	1.10
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	10,440	0.67
Altoona, PA	2,200	0.91
Amarillo, TX	5,540	1.08
Ames, IA	2,280	0.99
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA	2,200	0.81
Anchorage, AK	9,920	1.36
Ann Arbor, MI	4,060	0.45
Anniston-Oxford, AL	1,460	0.81
Appleton, WI	7,210	1.40
Asheville, NC	7,480	1.00
Athens-Clarke County, GA	2,660	0.67
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	93,260	0.78
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	7,080	1.02
Auburn-Opelika, AL	2,650	0.88
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	8,330	0.87
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	58,380	1.09
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	14,780	1.06
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	52,330	0.93
Bangor, ME	3,390	1.14
Barnstable Town, MA	5,490	1.41
Baton Rouge, LA	33,600	1.99
Battle Creek, MI	1,630	0.72
Bay City, MI	1,460	1.04
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	15,760	2.34
Beckley, WV	2,880	1.62
Bellingham, WA	6,080	1.61
Bend, OR	6,060	1.36
Billings, MT	5,610	1.45
Binghamton, NY	3,700	0.92
Birmingham, AL	23,410	1.09
Bismarck, ND	3,810	1.30
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA	2,220	0.73
Bloomington, IL	2,230	0.61
Bloomington, IN	2,640	0.87
Boise City, ID	26,200	1.62
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	93,170	0.83
Boulder, CO	3,810	0.48
Bowling Green, KY	3,290	0.97
Bozeman, MT	5,500	1.84
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	6,860	1.77
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	10,930	0.65
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX	3,050	0.47
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA	1,450	0.75
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	18,960	0.86
Burlington, NC	2,340	0.83
Burlington-South Burlington, VT	4,600	0.93
Canton-Massillon, OH	5,940	0.88
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	27,370	2.17
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL	1,600	0.86
Carson City, NV	1,450	1.10
Casper, WY	3,250	1.96
Cedar Rapids, IA	7,630	1.33
Chambersburg, PA	2,270	0.91
Champaign-Urbana, IL	3,440	0.79
Charleston, WV	4,780	1.12
Charleston-North Charleston, SC	15,430	0.95
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	55,470	0.99
Charlottesville, VA	4,120	0.87
Chattanooga, TN-GA	10,130	0.91
Cheyenne, WY	3,220	1.61
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	132,250	0.71
Chico, CA	3,040	0.94
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	38,220	0.84
Clarksville, TN-KY	3,720	0.87
Cleveland, OH	32,590	0.76
Cleveland, TN	1,520	0.86
Coeur d'Alene, ID	5,060	1.69
College Station-Bryan, TX	4,810	0.87
Colorado Springs, CO	11,960	0.92
Columbia, MO	3,330	0.75
Columbia, SC	12,590	0.77
Columbus, GA-AL	3,700	0.77
Columbus, IN	1,520	0.74
Columbus, OH	39,220	0.86
Corpus Christi, TX	15,100	1.90
Corvallis, OR	1,040	0.65
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	5,540	1.07
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	162,920	0.97
Dalton, GA	1,540	0.57
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	4,160	1.16
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	8,400	1.13
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH	10,380	0.67
Decatur, AL	3,120	1.23
Decatur, IL	2,700	1.44
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	10,420	1.15
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	71,570	1.08
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	19,550	1.17
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	66,210	0.84
Dothan, AL	2,280	0.91
Dover, DE	2,330	0.83
Dubuque, IA	2,150	0.89
Duluth, MN-WI	7,010	1.36
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	7,540	0.53
Eagle Pass, TX	230	0.30
Eau Claire, WI	3,370	0.95
El Centro, CA	1,790	0.66
Elizabethtown, KY	1,610	0.76
Elkhart-Goshen, IN	5,550	1.05
Elmira, NY	1,340	0.97
El Paso, TX	10,660	0.76
Enid, OK	1,260	1.31
Erie, PA	3,500	0.70
Eugene-Springfield, OR	5,680	0.87
Evansville, IN	7,170	1.28
Fairbanks-College, AK	2,410	1.60
Fargo, ND-MN	8,670	1.41
Farmington, NM	5,870	2.98
Fayetteville, NC	4,510	0.83
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR	11,630	1.02
Flagstaff, AZ	2,460	0.89
Flint, MI	5,570	1.00
Florence, SC	2,560	0.69
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL	3,070	1.33
Fond du Lac, WI	2,280	1.26
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	7,000	1.00
Fort Smith, AR-OK	3,380	0.86
Fort Wayne, IN	10,450	1.12
Fresno, CA	17,290	0.88
Gadsden, AL	1,060	0.77
Gainesville, FL	5,520	0.87
Gainesville, GA	3,000	0.70
Gettysburg, PA	1,250	0.95
Glens Falls, NY	2,390	1.15
Goldsboro, NC	1,790	1.07
Grand Forks, ND-MN	2,760	1.28
Grand Island, NE	1,980	1.21
Grand Junction, CO	4,270	1.54
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	21,940	0.89
Grants Pass, OR	960	0.76
Great Falls, MT	2,140	1.42
Greeley, CO	11,870	2.40
Green Bay, WI	7,340	1.02
Greensboro-High Point, NC	14,060	0.93
Greenville, NC	3,060	0.92
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	15,650	0.87
Gulfport-Biloxi, MS	9,080	1.39
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV	3,440	0.78
Hammond, LA	1,370	0.69
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	1,210	0.60
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	9,160	0.66
Harrisonburg, VA	3,180	1.18
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	17,860	0.72
Hattiesburg, MS	2,270	0.88
Helena, MT	2,260	1.23
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC	4,310	0.68
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC	3,750	1.11
Hinesville, GA	420	0.50
Homosassa Springs, FL	2,150	1.46
Hot Springs, AR	1,750	1.10
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA	6,950	2.02
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	181,540	1.34
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH	7,340	1.26
Huntsville, AL	8,290	0.75
Idaho Falls, ID	5,270	1.56
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	49,080	1.07
Iowa City, IA	3,040	0.79
Ithaca, NY	1,040	0.52
Jackson, MI	1,990	0.86
Jackson, MS	9,850	0.88
Jackson, TN	3,330	0.95
Jacksonville, FL	36,570	1.16
Jacksonville, NC	2,250	1.04
Janesville-Beloit, WI	3,240	1.12
Jefferson City, MO	4,170	1.26
Johnson City, TN	2,470	0.73
Johnstown, PA	1,610	0.81
Jonesboro, AR	2,130	0.85
Joplin, MO-KS	3,160	0.88
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	3,530	1.16
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	4,630	0.92
Kankakee, IL	1,210	0.69
Kansas City, MO-KS	44,150	0.97
Kennewick-Richland, WA	9,290	1.74
Kenosha, WI	1,900	0.61
Killeen-Temple, TX	5,300	0.85
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	5,830	1.18
Kingston, NY	2,460	1.01
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	10,920	0.98
Knoxville, TN	17,710	1.01
Kokomo, IN	1,970	1.35
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN	3,020	0.87
Lafayette, LA	9,730	1.31
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN	3,780	0.90
Lake Charles, LA	7,540	1.80
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ	3,370	1.44
Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	12,680	1.16
Lancaster, PA	13,430	1.29
Lansing-East Lansing, MI	7,940	0.88
Laredo, TX	2,330	0.52
Las Cruces, NM	4,020	1.22
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	58,320	1.24
Lawrence, KS	1,610	0.75
Lawton, OK	1,750	0.99
Lebanon, PA	1,680	0.76
Lewiston, ID-WA	1,350	1.14
Lewiston-Auburn, ME	2,580	1.31
Lexington-Fayette, KY	10,060	0.85
Lexington Park, MD	2,510	0.86
Lima, OH	1,640	0.80
Lincoln, NE	8,070	1.07
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR	13,650	0.92
Logan, UT-ID	3,280	1.19
Longview, TX	9,470	1.94
Longview-Kelso, WA	2,610	1.54
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	188,760	0.73
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	26,810	0.95
Lubbock, TX	6,470	0.94
Lynchburg, VA	4,100	1.02
Macon-Bibb County, GA	2,610	0.66
Madison, WI	15,310	0.91
Manchester-Nashua, NH	6,760	0.82
Manhattan, KS	2,440	1.10
Mankato, MN	1,840	0.79
Mansfield, OH	1,600	0.80
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX	6,790	0.55
Medford, OR	4,080	1.11
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	19,070	0.75
Merced, CA	2,460	0.75
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	109,280	0.94
Michigan City-La Porte, IN	1,850	1.10
Midland, MI	1,660	1.08
Midland, TX	18,120	3.59
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	30,050	0.89
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	75,260	0.93
Minot, ND	2,780	2.02
Missoula, MT	3,250	1.17
Mobile, AL	10,030	1.41
Modesto, CA	8,070	1.00
Monroe, LA	3,640	1.01
Monroe, MI	1,670	0.99
Montgomery, AL	5,270	0.77
Morgantown, WV	3,080	1.11
Morristown, TN	1,970	1.01
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	3,640	1.68
Muncie, IN	1,270	0.69
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI	2,120	0.82
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC	6,480	1.07
Napa, CA	3,420	1.06
Naples-Marco Island, FL	13,470	1.88
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	44,220	0.97
New Haven, CT	7,860	0.68
New Orleans-Metairie, LA	18,010	0.98
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	285,220	0.73
Niles, MI	1,620	0.65
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	20,990	1.49
Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT	4,830	0.93
Ocala, FL	6,840	1.37
Odessa, TX	10,360	3.10
Ogden, UT	17,550	1.57
Oklahoma City, OK	32,390	1.16
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	4,600	0.85
Omaha, NE-IA	25,160	1.22
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	63,610	1.09
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI	4,040	1.04
Owensboro, KY	1,860	0.91
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	13,830	1.03
Paducah, KY-IL	3,050	1.47
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	11,120	1.10
Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL	5,570	1.49
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV	1,620	1.08
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	9,310	1.18
Peoria, IL	6,220	0.91
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	90,110	0.75
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	132,260	1.35
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC	1,450	0.82
Pittsburgh, PA	49,450	1.07
Pittsfield, MA	2,560	1.09
Pocatello, ID	1,960	1.24
Portland-South Portland, ME	15,060	1.26
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	57,870	1.16
Port St. Lucie, FL	11,240	1.59
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ	5,150	1.73
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	27,630	0.94
Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT	22,140	1.76
Pueblo, CO	2,740	1.07
Punta Gorda, FL	3,670	1.54
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI	3,020	0.96
Raleigh-Cary, NC	35,650	1.16
Rapid City, SD	4,940	1.62
Reading, PA	6,060	0.84
Redding, CA	3,410	1.15
Reno, NV	18,450	1.62
Richmond, VA	29,810	1.09
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	81,550	1.15
Roanoke, VA	6,880	1.08
Rochester, MN	4,430	0.87
Rochester, NY	18,550	0.91
Rockford, IL	4,700	0.83
Rocky Mount, NC	2,270	1.00
Rome, GA	860	0.47
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	55,420	1.24
Saginaw, MI	2,980	0.90
St. Cloud, MN	6,200	1.44
St. George, UT	7,850	2.10
St. Joseph, MO-KS	2,350	1.05
St. Louis, MO-IL	54,470	0.98
Salem, OR	9,880	1.27
Salinas, CA	6,540	0.85
Salisbury, MD	1,850	0.83
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	46,030	1.35
San Angelo, TX	2,060	1.00
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	45,550	0.98
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	65,430	1.03
Sandusky, OH	1,750	0.84
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	84,560	0.86
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	39,000	0.83
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	6,150	1.22
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	3,820	0.94
Santa Fe, NM	2,360	0.93
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	8,850	1.07
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	11,670	1.38
Savannah, GA	6,150	0.75
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA	8,460	0.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	88,640	1.03
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL	3,670	1.54
Sebring, FL	1,160	1.00
Sheboygan, WI	2,020	0.81
Sherman-Denison, TX	2,420	1.11
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	8,460	1.26
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ	1,460	1.04
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	3,120	1.01
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	10,010	1.36
Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA	3,840	0.95
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	5,050	0.93
Spartanburg, SC	5,350	0.78
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	11,660	1.10
Springfield, IL	2,950	0.71
Springfield, MA	6,810	0.82
Springfield, MO	7,770	0.84
Springfield, OH	990	0.52
State College, PA	2,800	0.98
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA	1,860	0.87
Stockton-Lodi, CA	11,030	0.92
Sumter, SC	1,560	1.09
Syracuse, NY	11,030	0.89
Tallahassee, FL	7,110	0.92
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	66,300	1.11
Terre Haute, IN	3,320	1.23
Texarkana, TX-AR	2,390	1.00
Toledo, OH	10,920	0.91
Topeka, KS	4,950	1.03
Traverse City, MI	3,970	1.40
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	5,420	0.55
Tucson, AZ	15,920	0.99
Tulsa, OK	22,650	1.19
Tuscaloosa, AL	5,450	1.22
Twin Falls, ID	2,390	1.15
Tyler, TX	4,400	0.92
Urban Honolulu, HI	20,950	1.14
Utica-Rome, NY	3,560	0.73
Valdosta, GA	1,980	0.89
Vallejo, CA	7,850	1.32
Victoria, TX	2,260	1.43
Vineland, NJ	2,460	0.96
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	41,190	1.31
Visalia, CA	5,440	0.77
Waco, TX	6,630	1.24
Walla Walla, WA	990	0.92
Warner Robins, GA	2,910	0.93
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	113,410	0.88
Waterbury-Shelton, CT	5,680	0.85
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	3,200	0.92
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY	1,930	1.19
Wausau, WI	2,850	0.99
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH	1,780	1.19
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	3,000	1.42
Wheeling, WV-OH	3,870	1.61
Wichita, KS	13,990	1.10
Wichita Falls, TX	1,750	0.76
Wildwood-The Villages, FL	3,300	1.93
Williamsport, PA	1,850	0.90
Wilmington, NC	9,320	1.18
Winchester, VA-WV	2,360	0.84
Winston-Salem, NC	10,210	0.91
Worcester, MA	13,730	0.95
Yakima, WA	3,540	0.88
York-Hanover, PA	7,570	1.00
Youngstown-Warren, OH	6,160	0.93
Yuba City, CA	2,070	0.98
Yuma, AZ	2,850	1.00

Location quotients, the ratio of an occupation’s share of area employment to its share of national employment, allow analysis of employment concentrations by area. Midland, Texas, had the highest employment concentration of construction and extraction occupations in May 2025. Construction and extraction occupations made up approximately 14.8 percent of employment in Midland, more than 3 times the national average of 4.1 percent, for a location quotient of 3.59 (appearing near the top of the chart). Metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of construction and extraction occupations also included Odessa, Texas (location quotient of 3.10); Farmington, New Mexico (2.98); and Greeley, Colorado (2.40).

Large metropolitan areas may have relatively large employment in the construction and extraction occupations group even if they have relatively smaller location quotients. For example, the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area had employment of over 285,000, while the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area had employment of nearly 189,000 in construction and extraction. But both these areas had a location quotient of 0.73 for this occupational group (shown on the right side of the chart).

Although extraction workers made up only a small percentage of employment in construction and extraction occupations (about 3.2 percent), several metropolitan areas with high concentrations of this occupational group also had high concentrations of mining and extraction industries. For example, as a share of local employment, Midland, Texas, had more than 72 times the national employment share in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry, and just 20 miles away, Odessa, Texas, had over 41 times the national employment share.

These occupational employment and location quotient data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program and do not include self-employed workers. To learn more, see "Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025" and the metropolitan area occupational employment and wage estimates. Employment concentrations in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry (not shown in the chart) are based on industry location quotients for the second quarter of 2025 from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. To learn more about how location quotients are calculated, see "What is a Location Quotient?" (PDF), one of the Economics Made Easy classroom handouts.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Midland, Texas, had highest employment concentration of construction and extraction occupations in May 2025 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/midland-texas-had-highest-employment-concentration-of-construction-and-extraction-occupations-in-may-2025.htm (visited May 28, 2026).

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