The Construction Industry Employs Just 4.5% of Mississippi Workers, 5th Lowest in the U.S.

More than a decade after the Great Recession, employment within the construction sector continues to lag behind pre-recession levels. Following the housing market crash in 2008, construction jobs experienced a significant decline, with the full impact not being realized until January 2011 when the share of total employment hit a 30-year low of just 4.15%. Since then, employment in construction has grown steadily—though it varies significantly across the country. Researchers ranked metros and states by each location’s percentage of total employment in the construction industry in Q3 2023, the latest data available.