Editor’s note: This story was originally published here construction coverage.
Construction has long been a male-dominated field. According to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 11.7% of payroll workers in the construction industry are women. However, a change is afoot.
In recent years, the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship and women in non-traditional occupations (I like) The grant program has allocated millions of dollars to increase women’s participation in industries such as construction.
and the construction industry is facing severe shortage of workers – Estimated at 349,000 workers – Recruiting women into construction roles has become a necessity to sustain growth and meet demand.
While women are under-represented in the workforce, data shows that female employment in the construction sector is slowly but steadily increasing.
While the construction industry remains male-dominated nationally, the under-representation of women in construction is less pronounced in some parts of the country. This variation highlights regional differences in workforce mobility, compensation levels, and diversification efforts within the industry.
To find the cities with the most female construction employment, Construction Coverage researchers analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data. For more details, see the methodology section at the end.
Here are the cities where most women work in construction jobs.
15. Colorado Springs, CO
- Female employment share in construction industry: 13.6%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 3,773
- Total male employment in construction industry: 23,977
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $62,033
14. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 13.8%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 3,587
- Total male employment in construction industry: 22,357
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $53,284
13.Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- Female employment share in construction industry: 13.9%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 12,835
- Total male employment in construction industry:79,467
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $70,414
12. Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.0%
- Total female employment in construction industry:7,160
- Total male employment in construction industry: 44,161
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $58,880
11. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.0%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 16,468
- Total male employment in construction industry: 101,567
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $52,682
10. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.2%
- Total female employment in construction industry:5,147
- Total male employment in construction industry: 31,059
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $50,978
9. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.2%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 15,338
- Total male employment in construction industry: 92,351
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $51,634
8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.2%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 20,029
- Total male employment in construction industry: 121,124
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $82,512
7. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.5%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 2,994
- Total male employment in construction industry: 17,612
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $51,318
6. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.5%
- Total female employment in construction industry:5,228
- Total male employment in construction industry: 30,866
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $56,608
5. Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.6%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 4,597
- Total male employment in construction industry: 26,799
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $53,735
4. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.6%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 6,583
- Total male employment in construction industry: 38,463
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $50,569
3. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
- Female employment share in construction industry: 14.9%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 14,045
- Total male employment in construction industry:79,903
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $59,836
2. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 15.7%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 16,565
- Total male employment in construction industry: 89,255
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $52,248
1. Jacksonville, FL
- Female employment share in construction industry: 17.4%
- Total female employment in construction industry: 10,278
- Total male employment in construction industry: 48,926
- Average earnings for full-time workers in the construction industry: $57,576
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 American Community Survey. Due to sample size constraints, one-year estimates were used for national statistics, while five-year estimates were used for state and MSA statistics.
To determine the locations with the most women in construction, Construction Coverage researchers ranked locations based on the percentage of female employees in the construction industry. On a par, places with total female employment in the construction industry were ranked higher.
Additionally, due to statistical significance limitations of the dataset, only the top 100 metropolitan areas by population with complete data were included in the analysis.