Immigrants play a decisive and growing role in homebuilding and remodeling across Virginia, and new research suggests that efforts to sharply reduce migration could have direct consequences for housing costs and construction timelines.
A report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University finds that in many of the metro areas with the highest levels of residential construction, immigrants form the backbone of the trades workforce. In Northern Virginia, roughly two-thirds of construction trades workers are immigrants, while the share is also substantial in Richmond and Norfolk.
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The findings arrive as the Trump administration pursues policies aimed at reaching “net zero” migration, a shift analysts say could ripple through labor-dependent industries such as construction.
Riordan Frost, senior research analyst at the center, said the most productive metro areas in building houses, condos and apartments often rely the most heavily on immigrant labor.
“This role is even more disproportionate in metropolitan areas with really high homebuilding activity or really high remodeling activities,” Frost reported. “Essentially, really high demand for those trades’ workforces.”
The report breaks down which trades depend most on foreign-born workers. Drywallers and plasterers lead the list, with more than three-fifths of workers coming from immigrant backgrounds. Half of all roofers, painters and floor installers are also immigrants, underscoring how deeply embedded this workforce is in everyday housing production.
For the first time in half a century, the United States recorded net zero migration in 2025, a trend the White House attributes to President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport what it describes as “criminal aliens” and end what it calls a “migrant invasion.” Housing researchers, however, warn the economic effects may be far broader than immigration statistics alone.
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Frost argued efforts to so steeply curb immigration into the U.S. could put a strain on housing affordability, already a major issue across the Commonwealth and the nation.
“The labor shortage in general has increased the cost of housing,” Frost pointed out. “It’s really anything that kind of affects that ability to supply housing could drive up those costs.”
The impact would not be limited to new construction. The study notes that the Washington, D.C., suburbs — among the nation’s busiest remodeling markets — rely heavily on immigrant trades workers and recorded the second-highest spending on home renovations of any metro area in the country. A reduced workforce could delay projects and push renovation prices even higher.
Housing advocates say Virginia is already struggling with a shortage of affordable homes, and any disruption to the construction labor pipeline could deepen the crisis. Builders across the state have reported difficulty filling positions in skilled trades, from framing to electrical work, even before the latest immigration restrictions.
The Harvard researchers conclude that immigrant labor has become structural to the housing industry, not supplemental. Without it, Frost and others warn, Virginia communities could see slower construction, higher home prices, and longer waits for essential repairs and upgrades.
Originally reported by Zamone Perez in Dog Wood.
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