More Young Workers Enter Construction Industry, Changing Median Worker Age

More needs to be done for recruiting new workers into the construction trades, says the National Association of Home Builders, but recent data shows a slight increase in young workers. The 2019 American Community Survey found the share of workers under 25 in the construction industry reached 10.8%, up from 9.7% in 2015. Consequently, this changed the median age of a construction worker, bringing it from 42 in 2018 to 41 in 2019. On the other hand, the share of workers aged 55 and above increased from 18.1% to 20.3%.

Simultaneously, the share of construction workers ages 25 to 54 decreased from 72.2% in 2015 to 69.0% in 2019. This change in age composition of construction labor force is largely because the last elements of the Baby Boomer generation are entering the 55+ group and a large share of skilled workers displaced during the Great Recession left the construction industry.

Compared to the workforce in all industries, construction has a relatively smaller share of younger workers, but a larger proportion of workers in their prime-working age. The chart above shows that, as of 2019, only 8.7% of construction workers were 20-24 years old and 2.1% under 20, less than the employment share of these two age groups in all industries. Around 69% of construction workforce were in the prime working years of 25-54, compared to 63% in overall workforce.

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