Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia in January compared to the previous month, while eight states saw a decrease. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationwide total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 229,000 in January, following a gain of 290,000 jobs in December.

On a month-over-month basis, employment data was most favorable in:

• New York (+59,300 jobs);
• California (+58,100); and
• Florida (+38,800).

A total of 17,100 jobs were lost across eight states, with Oregon reporting the steepest job losses at 4,900.

In percentage terms, employment in Vermont increased the highest at 0.6%, while South Dakota saw the biggest decline at 0.4% between December and January.

Across the nation, construction sector jobs data* — which includes both residential and non-residential construction — showed that 32 states reported an increase in January compared to December, while 17 states lost construction sector jobs. The remaining two, Missouri and the District of Columbia, reported no change on a month-over-month basis.

North Carolina, with the highest increase, added 4,000 construction jobs, while Illinois, on the other end of the spectrum, lost 5,300 jobs. Overall, the construction industry added a net 19,000 jobs in January compared to the previous month. In percentage terms, Hawaii, Mississippi and Arkansas reported the highest increase at 2.3%, and Illinois reported the largest decline at 2.3%.

Year over year, construction sector jobs in the United States increased by 218,000, which is a 2.8% increase compared to the January 2023 level.

Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, NAHB assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis, provides more in this Eye on Housing post.

*For this analysis, the BLS-combined employment totals for mining, logging, and construction are treated as construction employment for the District of Columbia, Delaware, and Hawaii.