Minority Workers in Construction
Minority workers are a growing part of the U.S. construction workforce, increasing 15.8% from 2020 to 2024 (see dashboard). Minority construction workers also have higher odds of a work-related injury compared to white, non-Hispanic workers.
This interactive dashboard summarizes minority construction worker trends by industry, demographics, characteristics, and occupations. The Year filter updates the charts and the bold and underlined key findings.
Following the interactive dashboard, you will find more information on the data source, definitions, chart notes, a downloadable data file, and recommended citation. This interactive data dashboard corresponds to a chapter in the upcoming PDF version of the Construction Chart Book-7th edition, which will be published this summer. Data will be updated annually as available. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected].
About the Data
Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Grace Cooper, Julia A. Rivera Drew, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rodgers, Jonathan Schroeder, and Kari C.W. Williams. IPUMS USA: Version 16.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V16.0.
- Historical data was not examined due to a data definition change in 2020.
Definitions
- Educational attainment – The highest grade of school completed, or the highest degree completed.
- Minority – All race categories that were not white.
- Self-employed – Includes unincorporated and incorporated workers.
- Wage-and-salary – Individuals who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips or payment in kind from their employer.
- Worker type – Indicates the type of work being performed.
- Craftworkers – All workers except those who are managerial, professional, or administrative support. Also called blue-collar or production workers.
- Other workers – Includes managerial, professional, and administrative support workers. Also called white-collar workers.
Recommended Citation and Data File
Recommended Citation
CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training. [2025]. Minority Workers in Construction [dashboard].
Data File
The Data File includes information for the minority worker data presented on the dashboard. Historical data can be provided by emailing [email protected].