Immigrants’ share of the construction workforce reached a record high in 2024, with foreign-born workers accounting for more than a quarter of the industry’s labor force (26.3%). The share is even higher among construction trades, for which one in three craftsmen is foreign-born. In several states, reliance on foreign-born labor is especially pronounced: immigrants make up more than 40% of the construction workforce in California and Florida, 39% in Texas, and 38% in Nevada.
According to the government’s occupational classification system, the construction industry employs workers across roughly 390 occupations. Of these, only 28 are construction trades, yet these workers account for about 60% of the total construction labor force. The remaining workers are in finance, sales, administration, and other off-site roles.
The concentration of immigrants is particularly high in key construction trades essential to home building, including drywall and ceiling tile installers (57%), plasterers and stucco masons (56%), roofers (53%), painters (53%), and carpet, floor, and tile installers (51%).
The two most prevalent construction occupations, laborers and carpenters, account for more than a quarter of the industry’s labor force. Among them, 35% of carpenters and 43% of construction laborers are foreign-born. These trades typically require less formal education, yet such workers consistently rank among those with the most severe labor shortages, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) and NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) surveys.
In the April 2025 HMI survey, more than half of builders reported either some or a serious shortage of workers performing finished carpentry. Shortages are similarly widespread for other construction trades directly employed by builders, such as bricklayers and masons, despite the relatively high share of immigrant workers in these occupations.
Labor shortages are also common among more technical trades such as electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians. In contrast to labor-intensive trades, these occupations typically require longer formal training, often involve professional licensing, and tend to attract fewer immigrant workers. Over 40% of surveyed builders reported deficits in these skilled trades.
The reported craftsmen shortage is somewhat less acute for trades where the foreign-born presence is more pronounced, such as drywall, ceiling, flooring installers, painters, and roofers – the trades where immigrants make up more than half of the workforce.
More than half (52%) of the nation’s three million immigrant construction workers reside in the four most populous states – California, Texas, Florida, and New York. California and Texas each have over half a million foreign-born construction workers; together, these states account for roughly one-third of all immigrant workers in the industry. Florida and New York contribute an additional 19% combined.
These states are not only the largest by population but also longstanding immigrant gateways, making them particularly reliant on foreign-born construction labor. Immigrants comprise 42% of the construction workforce in California and 41% in Florida, followed by 39% in Texas and 37% in New York.
At the same time, reliance on foreign-born labor is expanding beyond these traditional hubs. Nevada, for example, recorded the fourth-highest share of immigrant construction workers in 2024 (38%), closely trailing Texas. Maryland and New Jersey also reflect this broader trend, with immigrants accounting for 37% of the construction labor force in each state.
In Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia, Illinois, Arizona, and North Carolina, more than one-quarter of construction workers are foreign-born. At the other end of the spectrum, several states, including New Hampshire, Montana, Alaska, West Virginia, and Vermont, have immigrant shares below 5%.
Because immigrant workers are disproportionately concentrated in construction trades, their presence among craftsmen exceeds their overall share of the industry in every state. In California and Texas, immigrants account for more than half of all construction tradesmen. In Florida, Maryland, and Nevada, the shares are similarly elevated, approaching 50%, while in New Jersey and New York, more than 45% of craftsmen are foreign-born.
While most states draw most of their immigrant foreign-born workers from the Americas, Hawaii relies more heavily on Asian immigrants. European immigrants are a significant source of construction labor in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.
One Response
Aren’t you confusing immigrants with migrants? There is a big difference, as one group comes into the country legally with the intent to assimilate and become American citizens. The great majority of the others cross our borders illegally. Few have plans to stay, to assimilate, or to become citizens. They are here for economic reasons and send tens of billions of dollars to their families in their home countries. That money vanishes from the American economy each and every year.
If immigrant construction workers are here legally, immigration enforcement efforts will have no affect on them. If migrant workers are here illegally, those builders employing them are breaking existing federal law.