Wind load is an important calculation to figure into the design and construction of most buildings, but a building under construction in Norway will have to pay close attention to something I’ve never even thought about before: wave load.
Read moreThe Top States to Work in Construction: #37 Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama to some, but not quite on this list. Alabama did benefit from a cost of living that's 10% lower than the average state, but that could not help them overcome their relatively low wages before adjustment.
Read moreExplosion at Under Construction Texas Hospital Leaves 1 Dead, 15 Injured
Investigators are on the scene of a catastrophic explosion at a Texas construction project that killed 1 and has injured another 15 workers. The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville, Texas, which is being expanded.
Read moreBreathtaking Video of Last Construction Platform Being Removed from Space Needle’s $100M Reno
Back in September of 2017, the $100 million renovation of the Seattle Space Needle began with the installation of a 28,000 pound scaffold system ring designed to circle the famous saucer shaped top of the Needle.
Read moreThe Top States to Work in Construction: #38 Massachusetts
Coming in at number 38, Massachusetts is now the 5th Northeastern state on the list out of the bottom 13. Like the others, the state gets hurt pretty hard after adjusting for cost of living. Massachusetts has the 5th highest cost of living in the country, at just over 30% more than the average state.
Read moreThe 100 Tallest Buildings That Have Been Voluntarily Demolished
In February, JP Morgan Chased announced their plans to demolish their current 52-story headquarters located in Manhattan. Turns out, when that demolition is complete, it will also break the record for the tallest building ever voluntarily demolished.
Read moreThe Top States to Work in Construction: #39 North Carolina
For the past 6 months, Construction Junkie has been analyzing hourly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 25 different construction related professions. The goal was to highlight how workers were compensated in each of the U.S.’ 50 states.
We also counterbalanced the raw hourly wage data with the cost of living index of the states to determine how the pay construction workers in each state was counterbalanced by the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health, and other miscellaneous costs. All cost of living adjustment data came from Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).
We’ve previously published a list of The 10 Highest Paid Construction Jobs That Only Require High School Diploma, but we thought it would be interesting to examine each state individually to find out where construction workers can live most comfortably.
To follow along with our state-by-state breakdown of best states to work in construction, click here.
Rankings System
For the purpose of this list, each state’s ranking was determined by calculating the average ranking of hourly wages after being adjusted for cost of living for each of the 25 professions we examined. There are, of course, many ways to determine how good a state is to work in, but, at the end of the day, all workers have to be able to provide for them and their families, so wages should play a large role. If you see a state ranked #51 in a certain category, that is because Washington DC was included in the original data set, but was not included in this series.
#39 North Carolina
Paving the way into the 30s on our countdown is North Carolina, who only fared slightly better than its sister state South Carolina, which ranked #42. South Carolina's average pre-adjusted wage was actually higher than North Carolina, but cost of living is slightly lower in the North, giving it a final advantage. After adjusting for cost of living, North Carolina raised it's average ranking 6.5 spots.
If you’d like to see the breakdown of a specific profession, click the link the spreadsheet below:
Best Construction Jobs in North Carolina
This list is determined by selecting the jobs that were ranked the highest:
1. Solar Panel Installer
2. Construction Manager
3. Elevator Installer
T 4. Insulation Worker
T 4. Floor Layer
Worst Construction Jobs in North Carolina
This list is determined by selecting the jobs ranked the lowest:
1. Iron & Steel Worker
2. Sheet Metal Worker
T 3. Carpenter
T 3. Pipelayer
5. Electrician
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ABC: Construction Materials Costs Increases at Fastest Pace Since 2008
Recent promises of tariffs and impending trade wars over metals, softwood lumber, and other imports have had many wondering about the effects on construction material pricing. Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc (ABC) recently analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and it already shows a large increase in cost.
Read moreThe Top States to Work in Construction: #40 Arkansas
I used this phrase to describe South Carolina, as well, but Arkansas is also "consistently mediocre. Arkansas was consistently ranked higher than 40 in the raw wage data, but they were saved, at least in terms of this countdown, by the fact that they have the second lowest cost of living in the country. Adjusting for the cost of living raised the state's ranking 13 spots and kept it from being in the bottom 10.
Read moreThe Best Construction Podcast of 2018 [RESULTS]
Construction Junkie's 4th Annual Best Construction Podcast Competition has officially come to an end and the results have been tallied. It was a very exciting competition this year, with several very strong competitors pulling in tons of votes.
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Welders are essential on many construction jobs throughout the US, especially in bridge construction and high rise buildings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers into one category, but their jobs essentially boil down to joining and cutting metal.