Colorado Construction Employment Rises 3% to 189,500 as Tariff Risks Cloud Hiring
Updated
Updated · ColoradoBiz · Aug 21
Colorado Construction Employment Rises 3% to 189,500 as Tariff Risks Cloud Hiring
1 articles · Updated · ColoradoBiz · Aug 21
Summary
Colorado added 5,600 construction jobs from July 2025 to July 2026, lifting industry employment to 189,500, with another 500 jobs added from June.
The 3% annual gain ranked Colorado 17th nationally, while AGC economist Ken Simonson said broad July hiring could still be threatened by tariff uncertainty, federal highway funding questions and data center development risks.
Across the U.S., construction employment rose over the year in 36 states and Washington, D.C.; Texas added the most jobs at 17,500, while Louisiana posted the fastest percentage gain at 11.4%.
A key near-term pressure point is federal infrastructure policy: the current highway and transit funding law expires Sept. 30, potentially affecting future construction hiring.