Overview

• The United States Department of Labor defines the construction industry as "companies that are engaged in the construction and/or renovation of buildings or engineering projects, such as bridges and roads." This industry is connected to various other disciplines such as survey, architecture and engineering, inspection service companies, project management firms, and companies that provide products and services such as "plumbing, heating, central air-conditioning, electrical wiring, lighting equipment, elevators, and escalators."
• The construction industry can be broken down according to the primary project types, that is, residential projects, non-residential projects, and engineering projects.
• Construction projects can also be grouped into private which is performed for private owners and public which is performed for federal, state, or local governments.
• This industry is open to all kinds of employees including "those with degrees, those without degrees, skilled workers, and unskilled workers," generating a huge number of jobs.

Statistics

•  $993 billion was spent on construction projects in the US in 2014.
• The US construction industry represents 4.1% of the country's GDP. In 2017, it represented 7% of the GDP.
• The value of new private construction in the US is $974.7 billion.
• In 2019, the US government spent $4.25 billion on commercial projects.
• The US local and state government commissioned non-residential construction totaled at $299 billion in 2019.
• Construction spending in the US amounted to $1.29 trillion in 2018.
•  20% of construction in the US occurs in "New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington."
• Commercial construction increased in 2018 by 2% from the previous year to amount to $89 billion.