According to NAHB’s analysis of the most recent 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) data, the median age of construction laborers is 42, which is one year older than the average worker in the national labor force.
Simultaneously, the construction workforce is experiencing an increase in the number of younger workers.
The construction industry’s primary long-term objective remains the attraction and retention of qualified labor, despite some improvements since the peak of the skilled labor shortage in 2021.
The median age of construction industry laborers varies across states.
The median age of individuals employed in the construction industry is indicated by the color coding in the map above.
Rhode Island has the oldest median age at 47 years old, followed by Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, and New Jersey, where the median age of construction workers is 44.
In the central region of the country, the average age of construction workers is younger.
For instance, half of the construction laborers in Utah and Idaho are under the age of 39.
In the preceding map, the second data series represents the discrepancy between the median age of construction laborers in each state and the median age of all industries.
The figures printed on each state are the estimates.
On average, construction workers are older than the average worker in the state labor force, as indicated by a positive number.
The median age of construction laborers in Rhode Island is seven years higher than the overall median.
Conversely, a negative value suggests that construction laborers are, in general, younger than the state labor force.
The median age of construction workers in Vermont is four years lower than the overall median.
The construction labor force is being transformed by generational transitions.
Generation Z’s proportion in the construction workforce has expanded swiftly, rising from 6.4% in 2019 to 16.8% in 2024.
This substantial increase over the course of five years is indicative of a burgeoning pipeline of younger workers.
During the same period, the Millennial generation’s share increased from 35.7% to 37.5%.
In contrast, the Baby Boomer’s share experienced a significant decline from 20.6% to 12.8%, while the Gen X share decreased from 36.6% to 32.5% as a result of the retirement of a greater number of workers.
This change indicates that Gen Z and Millennial laborers are becoming a more significant component of the construction workforce.
In comparison to the workforce across all industries, construction has a relatively smaller proportion of younger workers, but a greater proportion of workers in their prime-working age.
In 2024, the proportion of construction workers under the age of 25 was only approximately 10.7%, while the percentage of laborers across all industries was 13.7%.
The construction workforce encompassed approximately 67.3% individuals between the ages of 25 and 54, which is higher than the overall workforce’s 63.4%.
A particularly high concentration of construction workers was observed in the 35 to 54 age group.
Workers aged 35 to 44 comprised 24.5% of the construction workforce, as opposed to 22.1% of all workers in all industries.
Conversely, workers aged 45 to 54 comprised 21.2% of the construction workforce, and 19.3% of all workers.
Concurrently, 22% of the construction workforce consisted of individuals aged 55 and older.
The construction industry’s primary long-term objective is to attract more competent labor as these older workers approach retirement.
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