The U.S. construction industry is becoming increasingly dependent on immigrant labor, with foreign-born workers now accounting for a growing share of the national workforce, according to a new report released this month by Construction Coverage.
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The study found that more than 2.8 million construction workers were foreign born in 2023, representing nearly 27% of the total construction workforce nationwide, up from about 25% a decade earlier. In 2013, approximately two million immigrant workers were employed in the sector, underscoring a steady rise in reliance on this segment of the labor force.
The concentration of immigrant construction workers is especially pronounced in a handful of states. New York ranks fifth nationally, with more than 37% of its construction workforce made up of foreign-born workers, trailing only Florida, New Jersey, Texas and California. The reliance is even more significant in the New York City metropolitan area, where the report estimates that nearly 49% of construction workers are immigrants, totaling close to 290,000 workers across New York City, Newark and Jersey City.
Jonathan Jones, a senior researcher at Construction Coverage and author of the report, said the findings reflect a clear regional divide within New York State and across the country.
"The picture changes dramatically just a few hours north (of New York City)," Jones said. "In Upstate markets, the reliance on Immigrant Workers drops precipitously - to just (8.4%) in Albany, (7.6%) in Rochester, and (6.1%) in Buffalo, suggesting that while foreign-born Employees are the backbone of development in (New York) City and surrounding suburbs, construction employment demographics look completely different across the rest of the State."
The report characterizes this contrast as a “tale of two economies,” highlighting how urban construction markets depend heavily on immigrant labor while upstate and rural regions rely far less on foreign-born workers.
Nationally, cities with the highest concentrations of immigrant construction workers include Miami, where more than 66% of construction workers are foreign born, as well as metropolitan areas such as Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Trenton, New Jersey, where immigrant workers account for roughly half of the construction workforce.
The study also found that immigrant workers are disproportionately represented in certain trades. Laborers account for more than 750,000 foreign-born workers, followed by carpenters at over 360,000 and painters at more than 250,000. Immigrants make up a majority of the national workforce in occupations such as drywall and ceiling installation, painting and paperhanging, and roofing.
The findings arrive amid heightened scrutiny of immigration policy and labor availability, raising concerns among industry leaders about workforce stability, project delivery timelines and long-term capacity. As construction demand continues to grow in major metro areas, the report suggests that immigrant labor will remain a critical pillar supporting development nationwide.
Originally reported by Harper Freeman/The Chief Leader in WNY Labor Today.
