Construction, with 7.2 million wage and salary jobs and 1.8 million self-employed and unpaid family workers in 2008, was one of the Nation's largest industries. About 64 percent of wage and salary jobs in construction were in the specialty trade contractors sector, primarily plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning; electrical; and masonry. Around 23 percent of jobs were in residential and nonresidential building construction. The rest were in heavy and civil engineering construction (table 1).
Employment in this industry is distributed geographically in much the same way as the Nation's population. There were about 884,300 construction establishments in the United States in 2008: 269,700 were building construction contractors; 57,600 were heavy and civil engineering construction or highway contractors; and 557,000 were specialty trade contractors. Most of these establishments tend to be small; 68 percent employed fewer than 5 workers. About 12 percent of workers are employed by these very small contractors.
Construction offers more opportunities than most other industries for individuals who want to own and run their own business. The 1.8 million self-employed and unpaid family workers in 2008 performed work directly for property owners or acted as contractors on small jobs, such as additions, remodeling, and maintenance projects. The rate of self-employment varies greatly by individual occupation in the construction trades, partially dependent on the cost of equipment or structure of the work (chart).
