Continuing a steady and unbroken upward trend that has been apparent now for more than a decade, the number of Hispanic workers in the nation’s construction industry is currently just slightly to the south of a third at 32%.
Those figures, as reported in a new release by the National Association of Home Builders, show an overall increase of around 1.3 million since the year 2010, when the total Hispanic workforce stood at 2.5 million.
That figure now, according to the latest data, is at nearly 3.8 million.
Notes the NAHB research blog: “Hispanic workers comprise a larger share in the construction industry in the broader economy,” where their total number, while also on the upside, now stands at just over 19%. A decade ago, that figure was 16%.
White construction industry workers, meanwhile, account for 57.5% of the total national labor force, with Blacks representing 5%, and Asian Americans 4.5%.
These figures in many ways reflect an overall increase in larger population trends showing that Hispanics make up just under 20% of the country’s general population.
Most remarkable about the Hispanic construction force trend line is its steady increase. While the numbers dropped to just over 20% during the Great Recession, there was a quick rebound to more than 25% by 2017.
During the Covid pandemic years, the Hispanic labor force was up to 30%, climbing to more than 33% by the end of 2023.
Regionally, says the NAHB, more than half of the construction labor force in California, Nevada, New Mexico, and California is now made up of Hispanic workers. New Mexico comes in at number one with Hispanics comprising 64% of the state’s building industry.
Only two other states came close to New Mexico’s numbers: Texas, at 61%, and California at 59%.
October 17, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
