Construction Unemployment Rate Falls 0.3% Year Over Year - Contractor Magazine

WASHINGTON, DC — The not seasonally adjusted construction unemployment rate for September was 3.5%, according to data released October 30 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That represents a 0.3% decrease from one year ago. National NSA payroll construction employment was 103,000 higher than in September 2025. Seasonally adjusted payroll construction employment was 8.4 million, or 9.9% above its pre-pandemic peak of 7.6 million. For September, all 50 states had a construction unemployment rate below 10% and all but three states—Alaska, Minnesota and North Dakota—had a rate below 6%. Estimated state construction unemployment rates were lower than their pre-pandemic (February 2020) level in 39 states.