South and West Lead June Job Gains

Southern and Western states led year-over-year job increases in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The NAHB Eye on Housing blog reports that total nonfarm employment in June increased by 2.37 million jobs, or 1.6 percent, compared to June 2017. Of the 19 states that where nonfarm employment grew more than the national average, 16 were in the Western and Southern regions of the country.

For the construction sector specifically, the U.S. added 282,000 jobs for a 4.1 percent increase in June year-over-year. Arizona had the highest annual growth in construction sector (10.2 percent), followed by Georgia (8.8 percent) and Michigan (8.1 percent). South Carolina reported the largest decline at 3.9 percent, followed by New Jersey (3.1 percent) and Missouri (1.5 percent).

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