15 cities with the most women in construction
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Cover.
Construction has long been a male-dominated field. According to recently released data from the US Census Bureau, only 11.7% of wage earners in the construction industry are women. However, the revolution continues.
In recent years, the Department of Labor’s Women in Education and Odd Jobs (WANTO) grant program has released millions of dollars to strengthen women’s participation in industries such as construction.
And with the construction industry facing a major labor shortage – an estimated 349,000 workers – hiring women in construction roles has become a necessity to boost growth and meet demand.
Although women remain underrepresented in the workforce, the data reveal a gradual but steady upward trend in the employment of women in the construction sector.
Although the construction industry is still dominated by men nationally, the underrepresentation of women in construction is not felt well in certain parts of the country. These differences highlight regional differences in workforce dynamics, compensation levels, and industry diversification efforts.
To find the cities with the most female construction workers, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the US Census Bureau. For more information, see the methodology section at the end.
Here are the cities where more women work in construction jobs.
15. Colorado Springs, CO
- The role of women in the construction industry: 13.6%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 3,773
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 23,977
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $62,033
14. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 13.8%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 3,587
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 22,357
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $53,284
13. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- The role of women in the construction industry: 13.9%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 12,835
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 79,467
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $70,414
12. Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.0%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 7,160
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 44,161
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $58,880
11. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.0%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 16,468
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 101,567
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $52,682
10. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.2%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 5,147
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 31,059
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $50,978
9. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.2%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 15,338
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 92,351
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $51,634
8. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.2%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 20,029
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 121,124
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $82,512
7. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.5%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 2,994
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 17,612
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $51,318
6. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.5%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 5,228
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 30,866
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $56,608
5. Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.6%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 4,597
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 26,799
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $53,735
4. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.6%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 6,583
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 38,463
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $50,569
3. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
- The role of women in the construction industry: 14.9%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 14,045
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 79,903
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $59,836
2. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 15.7%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 16,565
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 89,255
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $52,248
1. Jacksonville, FL
- The role of women in the construction industry: 17.4%
- Total employment of women in the construction industry: 10,278
- Total male employment in the construction industry: 48,926
- Average salary for full-time workers in the construction industryPrice: $57,576
How to do it
The data used in this analysis comes from the Census Bureau’s 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 find areas with the most women in construction, researchers at Construction Coverage ranked areas by the percentage of the construction industry workforce that is female. If it happens to be similar, the places with the highest employment of women in the construction industry are 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.
