Orange County’s Construction Job Growth Tops Nation

Orange County added 12,500 construction jobs year over year since February 2015, according to data from the Associated General Contractors of America. The 15 percent increase tops that of the nation, with New York City (11,900 jobs), Westchester, N.Y. (7,8000 jobs), and Orlando (7,500 jobs) trailing behind.

Orange County is a hot spot for construction, as the building industry’s annual payroll sits in third place among all counties in the U.S. at $5.8 billion per year. Furthermore, local building trades employment hit its highest level since December 2007, climbing to 97,700 workers in February.

Orange County was not alone in its construction growth. Of 358 metro areas tracked, 234 experienced growth. California was the largest construction-job creator at the state level, touting 7.6 percent growth, or 53,800 jobs.