St. Louis Ranks Third in Construction Job Gains as National Market Splits
Date Posted: October 6, 2026
Posted In: Discussion, What we are thinking about, Workforce,
St. Louis ranks among the nation’s leaders in construction job growth. But new industry data show a widening divide between strong markets and struggling sectors.
The St. Louis metro area added 11,200 construction jobs from August 2025 to August 2026, a 14% increase. Only Houston and Baton Rouge added more jobs, according to the Associated General Contractors of America’s Oct. 2 Data DIGest.
St. Louis Outpaces Many Markets
Construction employment grew in 177 of the 360 metro areas AGC tracks. That represents just 49% of those markets. Employment fell in 126 and held steady in 57.
St. Louis’s gain puts the region well ahead of that uneven national pattern. These are metro-wide figures. AGC does not identify the local projects behind the gains.
Spending Rebounds, but Trails 2025
National construction spending rose 0.9% in August to an annual rate of about $2.20 trillion. Yet spending remained 1.7% below August 2025, the Census Bureau reported.
The longer view shows a deeper decline. Spending during the first eight months of 2026 totaled $1.45 trillion, down 3.1% from the same period last year.
The annual rate estimates a full year of spending at August’s pace. It does not represent money spent during that month. The figures also do not adjust for inflation.
August’s increase offers some encouragement. It does not establish a broad recovery.
Data Centers Mask Weakness Elsewhere
AGC’s analysis shows how heavily private construction now depends on data centers.
Data center spending jumped 73% from a year earlier. All other private nonresidential construction combined declined 5.9%.
Manufacturing construction fell 20%. Private office construction, excluding data centers, dropped 9.4%. Private power construction rose 9.7%.
The office distinction matters. Census includes data centers in its headline private office category. Growth in that category can therefore obscure weakness in conventional office construction.
Power Access Can Slow the Boom
The International Energy Agency offers context for the data center surge.
In an April 2026 report, the agency said global data center electricity demand rose 17% in 2025. It projects that consumption will double by 2030.
But demand does not guarantee timely construction. The agency identifies tight supplies of transformers and gas turbines. It also reports delays in grid connections and project approvals.
For contractors, that creates both opportunity and uncertainty. Large projects need electrical infrastructure. Their schedules also depend on when utilities and equipment suppliers can deliver it.
Contractors Add Jobs and Retain Workers
U.S. construction employers added 11,000 jobs in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Nonresidential specialty trade contractors added about 12,000.
That gain came during a subdued month for the broader economy. Total nonfarm employment increased by just 29,000.
Separate BLS data show 251,000 construction job openings at the end of August. That was up from 213,000 a year earlier. Yet monthly hiring fell to 308,000 from 336,000.
Layoffs and discharges also declined sharply. They totaled 99,000, compared with 182,000 a year earlier.
Together, those figures suggest employers continue to seek workers while holding onto existing crews. They do not, by themselves, explain why hiring slowed.
St. Louis’s employment gains strengthen the case for continued workforce development. The national sector split adds another consideration: training and recruitment need to connect workers with the kinds of projects employers can actually deliver.