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Numbers reveal the state of Michigan construction

Date Posted: January 20 2006

Following are some facts and figures about the construction industry in the State of Michigan, brought to light by Odell Jones III, chairman of the Associated General Contractors, Greater Detroit Chapter, and president of JOMAR Building Co.

  • In 2004, statewide gross construction revenue was nearly $17 billion - or 4.5 % of the gross state product in Michigan.
  • In 2004, there were about 30,000 construction companies in our state, with a monthly average employment of nearly 200,000 men and women working on job sites.

Plus there were more than 70,000 self-employed construction contractors.

  • Of the 30,000 construction companies in our state, nearly half are in southeast Michigan.
  • Over the next ten years, the industry expects a 15% growth in the construction workforce - over and above the number of workers replacing the current workforce.
  • U.S. construction is the only sector in the economy that is predicted to have any labor growth between now and 2015. Nationally 250,000-plus new workers will be needed annually for each of the next five years due to retirements and attrition alone.
  • For construction in the State of Michigan, McGraw-Hill Construction predicts that non-residential construction will be up 2% in 2006 in Michigan. That compares with a decline of 6 percent in 2005.
  • The average annual earnings in Michigan for all employees is $40,400. For construction, the average annual earnings is $43,700.

Total construction wages in Michigan in 2003 exceeded $10 billion.