Construction employment increased in half—180, or 50%, out of 360—of metro areas between September 2025 and September 2026, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new government employment data. But it declined in places that include Gainesville, New Brunswick, N.J.; and Fairbanks, Alaska; and Atlanta, with Atlanta leading the country.
What’s driving the increases in places where that’s occurring? Data centers, for one thing, and Georgians, by and large, are standing firm in their opposition to them.
“More often than not, there is a correlation between where data centers or large power and manufacturing facilities are getting built and which metro areas are adding new construction jobs,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
What are the raw figures for Atlanta and Gainesville? (-5,100 jobs or 5% and -400 jobs or 7%, respectively).
There’s more to this story and you can find it here: Metro_Empl_2026_September_alpha.pdf