Construction has long been a male-dominated field.

According to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 11.7% of payroll Employees in the Construction Industry are Women.

However, a shift is underway.

In recent years, the Department of Labor’s Women in Apprenticeship & Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) Grant Program has allocated millions of dollars to bolster Female participation in industries like construction.

And with the Construction Industry facing a massive Worker shortage - estimated at 349,000 Workers, recruiting Women into construction roles has become a necessity for sustaining growth and meeting demand.

While Women remain under-represented in the workforce, the data reveals a gradual yet consistent upward trend in Female employment within the Construction Sector.

Prior to 2016, Women comprised approximately 9% of the Construction Workforce.

This figure held relatively steady for over a decade, fluctuating slightly between 8.9% and 9.5% from 2003 to 2015.

However, since 2016, the share of Female Employees in construction has climbed nearly every year, reaching 11.1% in 2022 and continuing to rise to 11.7% by 2024.

This growth reflects both industry efforts to address workforce shortages and initiatives aimed at increasing diversity, such as targeted training programs and grants.

Nationwide, over 1.3 million Women are employed in the Construction Sector, compared to more than 10 million Men.

But the Women who are employed in the sector are far more likely to work in office and administrative positions, while Men dominate field-based roles.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Women make up 81.4% of the Construction Industry’s office and administrative roles.

They also are more highly concentrated in professional, sales, and management roles compared to other occupations in the sector.

However, Female representation is significantly lower in roles traditionally associated with fieldwork.

Only 4.1% of transportation positions and 4.0% of construction and extraction roles are filled by Women.

The share of employment is even lower in maintenance and repair jobs, as well as production roles, where Women account for just 3.7% and 3.1% of Workers, respectively.

While the Construction Industry remains male-dominated nationally, the under-representation of Women in construction is less pronounced in certain parts of the country.

This variation highlights regional differences in workforce dynamics, compensation levels, and diversification efforts within the industry.

The States of Delaware and Florida lead the Nation in Female construction employment, with Women making up 14.2% and 13.5% of the industry’s workforce, respectively.

These States likely benefit from the relatively high wages offered in the Construction Sector, which can be an attractive factor for Women entering the field.

Remotely located states like Alaska (13.3%) and Hawaii (13.2%), and parts of the Pacific Northwest, such as Washington (13.0%) and Oregon (12.7%), also report Female representation above the national average of 11.7%.

Similar trends can be observed at the Metropolitan level.

Metros like Jacksonville (17.4%) and Orlando, Florida (15.7%) rank as the top major metros for Female construction employment.

In fact, five of the top seven major metros for Female construction employment are located in Florida.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Texas and the Northeast are home to the only major metros that report concentrations of women in construction below 9.0%.

To Directly Access This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Alaska Ranks #3 in U.S. for Women in Construction | State | youralaskalink.com

Artwork Courtesy Of IUOE Local 17’s Facebook Page.