Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.
The U.S. construction industry has seen a surge in demand in recent years.
Amidst heightened demand, construction companies have struggled to find sufficient labor. In response to the labor shortage, the industry is increasingly drawing on a historically underrepresented segment of the population: women.
To find the best-paying states for women to work in construction, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Following is their ranking according to the median annual wage for full-time female workers in the construction industry, adjusted for cost-of-living differences. Learn more about the analysis in the methodology at the end.
Here are the best-paying states for women in construction.
15. Nevada
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $56,392
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $54,352
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $47,235
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 10.4%
14. Wisconsin
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $56,477
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $52,134
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $49,360
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.6%
13. Vermont
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $57,546
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $58,177
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $53,635
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.2%
12. Colorado
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $57,565
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $58,885
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $56,646
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 11.2%
11. Maryland
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $57,627
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $60,484
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $65,812
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 11.3%
10. Hawaii
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $57,895
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $64,170
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $52,822
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 12.5%
9. Kansas
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $58,193
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $52,351
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $46,499
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.9%
8. North Dakota
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $58,420
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $51,793
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $49,122
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.7%
7. Illinois
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $58,732
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $59,470
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $54,296
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 9.2%
6. Connecticut
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $60,029
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $63,878
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $64,275
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.1%
5. New Jersey
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $60,176
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $65,446
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $63,858
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 9.0%
4. Minnesota
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $60,282
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $58,909
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $56,638
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 10.1%
3. Washington
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $62,139
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $68,259
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $59,756
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 11.1%
2. Massachusetts
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $64,625
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $70,695
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $68,081
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 8.8%
1. Alaska
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (adjusted): $66,132
- Median wage for women in the construction industry (actual): $67,447
- Median wage for women across all occupations (actual): $58,017
- Female share of total construction industry employment: 16.3%
Methodology
To find the best-paying states for women in construction, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and cost-of-living data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s 2022 Regional Price Parities dataset.
States were ranked according to the median annual wage for full-time women working in the construction industry, adjusted for cost of living differences. Researchers also calculated the median annual wage for full-time women across all occupations and the female share of total construction industry full-time employment.
To improve the reliability of the results, 5-year estimates were used to calculate state-level statistics, while 1-year estimates were used to calculate national-level statistics.