The last decade has shown consistent year-over-year growth in the number of women in the construction industry. The most recent data reveals an increase of 56,000 women from 2023 to 2024 upping the total to 1,343,000, or 11.2% of the total workforce.
To gain more insight into how women are making strides in the industry as well as what obstacles remain, Fixr—an online platform that provides homeowners with detailed cost guides and articles on various home improvement projects—has analyzed current data and gathered opinions from top influential women in the construction industry.
Key Findings:
- The number of women in construction increased by 45% over the past decade.
- 39% of women in construction are in leadership roles.
- 68% of the positions in sales and office are held by women.
- The gender wage gap is narrowing, with a 16.8% reduction in just one year.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of women in the construction industry has been increasing for the past 10 consecutive years. Between 2015 and 2024, the number rose from 929,000 to 1,343,000, resulting in an overall percentage increase of 44.56%. An additional 56,000 women joined the construction industry in 2024, a 4.35% increase from the previous year.
Women’s Roles Expand Across Construction Sectors
Nearly all sectors of the construction industry experienced growth with women holding roles as compared to 2023. This contrasts sharply with the previous year, which saw declines in several sectors. Management, professional, and related occupations rose by 10,000 women, and sales and office occupations increased the most, adding 39,000 women, a notable turnaround from the previous year’s loss of 26,000. Service occupations grew by 3,000 women, the same as natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations. Only production, transportation, and material moving occupations stayed the same as last year. The experts weighed in with their opinions and identified four main causes behind these growth rates by sector.
Male Dominance in Four Out of Five Occupational Areas
When examining women in construction statistics, men still dominate four of the five occupational areas in the construction industry; however, women continue to make gains. In sales and office positions, women hold the majority, at 68%, which is 2% more than the previous year. Service occupations also grew by 1% in 2024, for a total share of 26%. The remainder of the roles remain unchanged from last year.
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