Age of Construction Workers
The age distribution of the US population is shifting as people are living longer and having less children. From 2016 to 2060, the number of individuals who are 65 years or older is expected to nearly double, from 49 million to 95 million. To address workers’ needs across all ages, it’s important for employers to understand demographic changes.
This interactive story-dashboard characterizes employment trends among construction workers by age, including industry trends, demographics, and aging workers. The Year filters on the first two sheets update both their respective charts and bolded and underlined key findings. Click on the boxes at the top of the dashboard to switch between the three sheets, including 1) Age of workers in construction and all industries; 2) Age of construction workers by demographics and characteristics; and 3) Aging construction workers.
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
Sarah Flood, Miriam King, Renae Rodgers, Steven Ruggles, J. Robert Warren, and Michael Westberry. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, 1985-2023 Current Population Survey: Version 9.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2022. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V9.0.
Definitions and Chart Notes
Definitions
- Average age – The mean age of workers
- Union status:
- Non-union member – For current job, the respondent had no union coverage or was covered by a union but not a member.
- Union member – For current job, the respondent was a member of a labor union.
- 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.
Chart Notes
- Charts by characteristics on the Age of construction workers by demographics and characteristics sheet are restricted to wage-and-salary workers when looking at union and worker type.